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BV  3797  .M7  W4  1884 
Moody,  Dwight  Lyman,  1837- 

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The  way  to  God  and  how  to 

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THE  WAY  TO  GOD 


And  How  To  Find  It 


BY 


D.  La.  moody, 


CHICAGO : 

F.  H,  REVELL,  148  &  150  Madison  Street, 

PublisheA'  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


Entered  acoording  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884, 

By  F.  H.  REVELL, 
In  the  ofi&ce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


J.  L.  REGAN  &  CO., 
PKINTERS    AND    BINDEllS, 

226  &  228  Lake  Street. 
CHICAGO 


CONTENTS. 


• 


Chapter        I.  "Love  that  passeth  Knowledge"  •        7 

Chapter      II.  The  Gateway  into  the  Kingdom  .       22 

Chapter    III.  The  Two  Classes          .         .  41 

Chapter     IV.  Words  of  Counsel             .         .  .53 

Chapter      V.  A  Divine  Saviour          ...  63 

Chapter     VI.  Eepentance  and  Restitution     .  .       71 

Chapter  VII.  Assurance  of  Salvation         .  .           84 

Chapter  VIII.  Christ  All  and  in  All              .  101 

Chapter    IX.  Backsliding            .  .114 


TO   THE   READER. 


In  this  small  volume  I  have  endeavored  to  point 
out  the  Way  to  God. 

I  have  embodied  in  the  little  book  a  considerable 
part  of  several  addresses  which  have  been  delivered  in 
different  cities,  both  of  Great  Britain  and  my  own 
country.  God  has  graciously  owned  them  when 
spoken  from  the  pulpit,  and  I  trust  will  none  the 
less  add  his  blessing  now  they  have  been  put  into 
the  printed  page  with  additional  matter. 

I  have  called  attention  first  to  the  Love  of  God,  the 
source  of  all  Gifts  of  Grace;  have  then  endeavored  to 
present  truths  to  meet  the  special  needs  of  representa- 
tive classes,  answering  the  question,  "How  man  can 
be  just  with  God,"  hoping  thereby  to  lead  souls  to  Him 
who  is  "the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life." 


The  last  chapter  is  specially  addressed  to  Back- 
sliders— a  class,   alas,  far   too   numerous  amongst  us. 

With  the  earnest  prayer  and  hope  that  by  the 
blessing  of  God  on  these  pages  the  reader  may  be 
strengthened,  established  and  settled  in  the  faith  of 
Christ, 

I  am,  yours  in  His  service, 


THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


CHAPTER  I. 
''LOVE  THAT PASSETH  KNOWLEDGES 

"  To  know  the  love  of  Chi-ist  which  paBseth  knowledge." 
(Ephesians  iii.  19.) 

If  I  could  only  make  men  understand  the  real  meaning 
of  the  -words  of  the  apostle  John — ''  God  is  love,"  I  would 
take  that  single  text,  and  would  go  up  and  down  the  world 
proclaiming  this  glorious  truth.  If  you  can  convince  a  man 
that  you  love  him  you  have  won  his  heart.  If  we  really  make 
people  believe  that  God  loves  them,  how  we  should  find  them 
crowding  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven !  The  trouble  is  that 
men  think  God  hates  them ;  and  so  they  are  all  the  time  run- 
ning away  from  Him. 

We  built  a  church  in  Chicago  some  years  ago;  and 
were  very  anxious  to  teach  the  people  the  love  of  God.  We 
thought  if  we  could  not  preach  it  into  their  hearts  we  would 
try  and  bum  it  in;  so  we  put  right  over  the  pulpit  in  gas-jets 
these  words — God  is  Love.  A  man  going  along  the  streets 
one  night  glanced  through  the  door,  and  saw  the  text.  He 
was  a  poor  prodigal.  As  he  passed  on  he  thought  to  himself, 
"  *  God  is  Love !'  No !  He  does  not  love  me ;  for  I  am  a  poo  j 
miserable  sinner."  He  tried  to  get  rid  of  the  text;  but  it 
seemed  to  stand  out  right  before  him  in  letters  of  fire.  He 
went  on  a  little  further;  then  turned  round,  went  back,  and 


THE  WAT  TO  GOD. 


went  into  the  meeting.  He  did  not  hear  the  sermon ;  but  the 
words  of  that  short  text  had  got  deeply  lodged  in  his  heart, 
and  that  was  enough.  It  is  of  Httle  account  what  men  say, 
if  the  Word  of  God  only  gets  an  entrance  into  the  sinner's 
heart,  fle  staid  after  the  first  meeting  was  over;  and  I  found 
him  there  weeping  like  a  child.  As  I  unfolded  the  Scriptures 
and  told  him  how  God  had  loved  him  all  the  time,  although 
he  had  wandered  so  far  away,  and  how  God  was  waiting  to 
receive  him  and  forgive  him,  the  light  of  the  Gospel  broke 
into  his  mind,  and  he  went  away  rejoicing. 

There  is  nothing  in  this  world  that  men  prize  so  much  as 
they  do  Love.  Show  me  a  person  who  has  no  one  to  care  for 
or  love  him,  and  I  v/ill  show  you  one  of  the  most  wretched 
beings  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Why  do  people  commit  sui- 
cide? Very  often  it  is  because  this  thought  steals  in  upon 
them — that  no  one  loves  them;  and  they  would  rather  die 
than  live. 

I  know  of  no  truth  in  the  whole  Bible  that  ought  to  come 
home  to  us  with  such  power  and  tenderness  as  that  of  the 
Love  of  God;  and  there  is  no  truth  in  the  Bible  that  Satan 
would  so  much  like  to  blot  out.  For  more  than  six  thousand 
years  he  has  been  trying  to  persuade  men  that  God  does  not 
love  them.  He  succeeded  in  making  our  first  parents  believe 
this  lie;  and  he  too  often  succeeds  with  their  children. 

The  idea  that  God  does  not  love  us  often  comes  from  false 
teaching.  Mcchers  make  a  mistake  in  teaching  children  that 
God  does  not  love  them  when  they  do  wrong;  but  only  when 
they  do  right.  That  is  not  taught  in  Scripture.  You  do 
not  teach  your  children  that  when  they  do  wrong  you  hate 
them.  Their  wrong-doing  does  not  change  your  love  to  hate; 
if  it. did,  you  would  change  your  love  a  great  many  times. 
Because  your  child  is  fretful,  or  has  committed  some  act  of 
disobedience,  you  do  not  cast  him  out  as  though  he  did  not 


«L 0  VE  THA  T  PA  SSETH  KNO  WLEDGE. "       9 

belong  to  you!  No!  he  is  still  your  child;  and  you  love  him. 
And  if  men  have  gone  astray  from  God  it  does  not  follow  that 
He  hates  them.     It  is  the  sin  that  He  hates. 

I  believe  the  reason  why  a  great  many  people  think  God 
does  not  love  them  is  because  they  are  measuring  God  by 
their  own  small  rule,  from  their  own  standpoint.  We  love 
men  as  long  as  we  consider  them  worthy  of  our  love ;  when 
they  are  not  we  cast  them  off.  It  is  not  so  with  God.  There 
is  a  vast  difference  between  human  love  and  Divine  love. 

In  Ephesians  iii.  18,  we  are  told  of  the  breadth,  and 
length,  and  depth,  and  height,  of  God's  love.  Many  of  us 
think  we  know  something  of  God's  love;  but  centuries  hence 
we  shall  admit  we  have  never  found  out  much  about  it.  Col- 
umbus discovered  America;  but  what  did  he  know  about  its 
great  lakes,  rivers,  forests,  and  the  Mississippi  Valley?  He 
died,  without  knowing  much  about  what  he  had  discovered. 
So,  many  of  us  have  discovered  something  of  the  love  of  God ; 
but  there  are  heights,  depths  and  lengths  of  it  we  do  not 
know.  That  Love  is  a  great  ocean;  and  we  require  to  plunge 
into  it  before  we  really  know  anything  of  it.  It  is  said  of  a 
Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Paris,  that  when  he  was  thrown 
into  prison  and  condemned  to  be  shot,  a  little  while  before  he 
was  led  out  to  die,  he  saw  a  window  in  his  cell  in  the  shape  of 
a  cross.  Upon  the  top  of  the  cross  he  wrote  "height,"  at  the 
bottom  "depth,"  and  at  the  end  of  each  arm  "length."  He 
had  experienced  the  truth  conveyed  in  the  hymn — 

"  "When  I  survey  the  wondrous  Cross, 
On  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  died. " 

When  we  wish  to  know  the  love  of  God  we  should  go  to 
Calvary.  Can  we  look  upon  that  scene,  and  say  God  did  not 
love  us?  That  cross  speaks  of  the  love  of  God.  Greater  love 
never  has  been  taught  than  that  which  the  cross  teaches. 
What  prompted  God  to  give  up  Christ? — what  prompted  Christ 


10  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

to  die? — if  it  were  not  love?  "Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends." 
Christ  laid  down  His  life  for  His  enemies ;  Christ  laid  down 
His  life  for  His  murderers ;  Christ  laid  down  His  life  for  them 
that  hated  Him;  and  the  spirit  of  the  cross,  the  spirit  of  Cal- 
vary, is  love.  When  they  were  mocking  Him  and  deriding 
Him,  what  did  He  say?  *'  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do."  That  is  love.  He  did  not  call  down  fire 
from  heaven  to  consume  them ;  there  was  nothing  but  love  in 
His  heart. 

If  you  study  the  Bible  you  will  find  that  the  love  of  God 
is  unchangeahle.  Many  who  loved  you  at  one  time  have  per- 
haps grown  cold  in  their  affection,  and  turned  away  from  you : 
it  may  be  that  their  love  is  changed  to  hatred.  It  is  not  so 
with  God.  It  is  recorded  of  Jesus  Christ,  just  when  He  was 
about  to  be  parted  from  His  disciples  and  led  away  to  Calvary, 
that :  "having  loved  His  own  which  were  in  the  world.  He 
loved  them  unto  the  end"  (John  xiii.  1).  He  knew  that  one 
of  His  disciples  would  betray  Him;  yet  He  loved  Judas.  He 
knew  that  another  disciple  would  deny  Him,  and  swear  that 
he  never  knew  Him ;  and  yet  He  loved  Peter.  It  was  the  love 
which  Christ  had  for  Peter  that  broke  his  heart,  and  brought 
him  back  in  penitence  to  the  feet  of  his  Lord.  For  three  years 
Jesus  had  been  with  the  disciples  trying  to  teach  them  His 
love,  not  only  by  His  life  and  words,  but  by  His  works.  And, 
on  the  night  of  His  betrayal,  He  takes  a  basin  of  water,  girds 
Himself  with  a  towel,  and  taking  the  place  of  a  servant, 
washes  their  feet;  He  wanted  to  convince  them  of  His  un- 
changing love. 

There  is  no  portion  of  Scripture  I  read  so  often  as  John 
xiv;  aijd  there  is  none  that  is  more  sweet  to  me.  I  never  tire 
of  reading  it.  Hear  what  our  Lord  says,  as  He  pours  out  His 
heart  to  His  Disciples  :  "At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am 


"LOVE  THAT  PASSETH  KNOWLEDGE."  11 

in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and  I  in  you.  He  that  hath  My 
commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me : 
and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  by  My  Father"  (xiv.  20,  21). 
Think  of  the  great  God  who  created  heaven  and  earth  loving 
you  and  me!  ...  "If  a  man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My 
words;  and  My  Father  will  love  him;  and  We  will  come  unto 
him,  and  make  Our  abode  with  him"  {v.  23). 

Would  to  God  that  our  puny  minds  could  grasp  this  great 
truth,  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  so  love  us  that  They  desire 
to  come  and  abide  with  us.  Not  to  tarry  for  a  night,  but  to 
come  and  abide  in  our  hearts. 

We  have  another  passage  more  wonderful  still  in  John 
xvii.  23.  "I  in  them,  and  thou  in  Me,  that  they  may  be 
made  perfect  in  one ;  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  Thou 
hast  sent  Me,  and  hast  loved  them  as  Thou  hast  loved  Me."  I 
think  that  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  sayings  that  ever  fell 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  reason  why  the 
Father  should  not  love  him.  He  was  obedient  unto  death; 
He  never  transgressed  the  Father's  law,  or  turned  aside  from 
the  path  of  perfect  obedience  by  one  hair's  breadth.  It  is  very 
different  with  us ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  all  our  rebellion 
and  foolishness.  He  says  that  if  we  are  trusting  in  Christ,  the 
Father  loves  us  as  He  loves  the  Son.  Marvellous  love !  Won- 
derful love !  That  God  can  possibly  love  us  as  He  loves  His 
own  Son  seems  too  good  to  be  true.  Yet  that  is  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  hard  to  make  a  sinner  believe  in  this  unchangeable 
love  of  God.  When  a  man  has  wandered  away  from  God  he 
thinks  that  God  hates  him.  We  must  make  a  distinction 
between  sin  and  the  sinner.  God  loves  the  sinner ;  but  he 
hates  the  sin.  He  hates  sin,  because  it  mars  human  life. 
It  is  just  because  God  loves  the  sinner  that  He  hates  sin. 

God's  love  is  not  only  unchangeable,  but  unfailing.  In 
Isaiah  xlix.  15, 16  we  read:   "Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking 


12  ms  Way  to  god. 


child  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her 
womb?  yea,  they  may  forget;  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee.  Be- 
hold I  have  graven  thee  upon  the  palms  of  My  hands;  thy 
walls  are  continually  before  Me." 

Now  the  strongest  human  love  that  we  know  of  is  a 
mothers  love.  Many  things  will  separate  a  man  from  his  wife. 
A  father  may  turn  his  back  on  his  child ;  brothers  and  sisters 
may  become  inveterate  enemies;  husbands  may  desert  their 
wives;  wives,  their  husbands.  But  a  mother's  love  endures 
through  all.  In  good  repute,  in  bad  repute,  in  the  face  of  the 
•world's  cpndemnation,  a  mother  loves  on,  and  hopes  that  her 
child  may  turn  from  his  evil  ways  and  repent.  She  remem- 
bers the  infant  smiles,  the  merry  laugh  of  childhood,  the 
promise  of  youth ;  and  she  can  never  be  brought  to  think  him 
unworthy.  Death  cannot  quench  a  mother's  love;  it  is 
stronger  than  death. 

You  have  seen  a  mother  watching  over  her  sick  child. 
How  willingly  she  would  take  the  disease  into  her  own  body 
if  she  could  thus  relieve  her  child!  Week  after  week  she  will 
keep  watch ;  she  will  let  no  one  else  take  care  of  that  sick  child. 

A  friend  of  mine,  some  time  ago,  was  visiting  in  a  beauti- 
ful home  where  he  met  a  number  of  friends.  After  they  had 
all  gone  away,  having  left  something  behind,  he  went  back  to 
get  it.  There  he  found  the  lady  of  the  house,  a  wealthy  lady, 
sitting  behind  a  poor  fellow  who  looked  like  a  tramp.  He  was 
her  own  son.  Like  the  prodigal,  he  had  wandered  far  away: 
yet  the  mother  said,  "  This  is  my  boy;  I  love  him  still."  Take 
a  mother  with  nine  or  ten  children,  if  one  goes  astray,  she 
seems  to  love  that  one  more  than  any  of  the  rest. 

A  leading  minister  in  the  state  of  New  York  once  told  me 
of  a  father  who  was  a  very  bad  character.  The  mother  did  all 
she  could  to  prevent  the  contamination  of  the  boy ;  but  the 
influence  of  the  father  was  stronger,  and  he  led  his  son  into 


^LOVE  THAT  PASSETH  KNOWLEDOE^  13 

all  kinds  of  sin  until  the  lad  became  one  of  the  worst  of 
criminals.  He  committed  murder,  and  was  put  on  his  trial. 
All  through  the  trial,  the  widowed  mother  (for  the  father  had 
died)  sat  in  the  court.  "When  the  witnesses  testified  against 
the  boy  it  seemed  to  hurt  the  mother  much  more  than  the  son. 
When  he  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  die,  every  one  else 
feehng  the  justice  of  the  verdict,  seemed  satisfied  at  the  result. 
But  the  mother's  love  never  faltered.  She  begged  for  a 
reprieve ;  but  that  was  denied.  After  the  execution  she  craved 
for  the  body ;  and  this  also  was  refused.  According  to  custom, 
it  was  buried  in  the  prison  yard.  A  little  while  afterwards 
the  mother  herself  died;  but,  before  she  was  taken  away,  she 
expressed  a  desire  to  be  buried  by  the  side  of  her  boy.  She 
was  not  ashamed  of  being  known  as  the  mother  of  a  murderer. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  young  woman  in  Scotland,  who  left 
her  home,  and  became  an  outcast  in  Glasgow.  Her  mother 
sought  her  far  and  wide,  but  in  vain.  At  last,  she  caused  her 
picture  to  be  hung  upon  the  walls  of  the  Midnight  Mission 
rooms,  where  abandoned  women  resorted.  Many  gave  the 
picture  a  passing  glance.  One  Hngered  by  the  picture.  It  is 
the  same  dear  face  that  looked  down  upon  her  in  her  childhood. 
She  has  not  forgotten  nor  cast  off  her  sinning  child ;  or  her 
picture  would  never  have  been  hung  upon  those  walls.  The 
lips  seemed  to  open,  and  whisper,  "Come  home;  I  forgive  you, 
and  love  you  still."  The  poor  girl  sank  down  overwhelmed 
with  her  feelings.  She  was  the  prodigal  daughter.  The 
sight  of  her  mother's  face  had  broken  her  heart.  She  became 
truly  penitent  for  her  sins,  and  with  a  heart  full  of  sorrow  and 
shame,  returned  to  her  forsaken  home;  and  mother  and 
daughter  were  once  more  united. 

But  let  me  tell  you  that  no  mother's  love  is  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  love  of  God ;  it  does  not  measure  the  height  or 
fche  depth  of  God's  love.  No  mother  in  thifi  world  ever 
loved  her  child  as  God  loves  you  and  me.     Think  of  the  love 


14  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


that  God  must  have  had  when  He  gave  His  Son  to  die  for  the 
world.  I  used  to  think  a  good  deal  more  of  Christ  than  I  did 
of  the  Father.  Somehow  or  other  I  had  the  idea  that  God 
was  a  stern  judge;  that  Christ  came  between  me  and  God,  and 
appeased  the  anger  of  God.  But  after  I  became  a  father,  and 
for  years  had  an  only  son,  as  I  looked  at  my  boy  I  thought  of 
the  Father  giving  His  Son  to  die ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  it 
required  more  love  for  the  Father  to  give  His  Son  than  for  the 
Son  to  die.  Oh,  the  love  that  God  must  have  had  for  the 
world  when  He  gave  His  Son  to  die  for  it !  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  He  gave  Hia  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life" 
(John  iii,  16).  I  have  never  been  able  to  preach  from  that 
text.  I  have  often  thought  I  would ;  but  it  is  so  high  that  I 
can  never  climb  to  its  height;  I  have  just  quoted  it  and 
passed  on.  Who  can  fathom  the  depth  of  those  words  :  "God 
so  loved  the  world?"  We  can  never  scale  the  heights  of  His 
love  or  fathom  its  depths.  Paul  prayed  that  he  might 
know  the  height,  the  depth,  the  length,  and  the  breadth,  of 
the  love  of  God ;  but  it  was  past  his  finding  out.  It  '  'passeth 
knowledge"  (Eph.,  iii.  19). 

Nothing  speaks  to  us  of  the  love  of  God,  like  the  cross  of 
Christ.  Come  with  me  to  Calvary,  and  look  upon  the  Son  of 
God  as  He  hangs  there.  Can  you  hear  that  piercing  cry  from 
His  dying  lips  :  "Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do!"  and  say  that  He  does  not  love  you?  "Greater 
love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friends"  (John  xv.  13).  But  Jesus  Christ  laid  down  His 
life  for  his  enemies. 

Another  thought  is  this  :  He  loved  us  long  before  we  ever 
thought  of  Him.  The  idea  that  he  does  not  love  us  until  we 
first  love  Him  is  not  to  be  found  in  Scripture.  In  1  John  iv. 
10,  it  is  written  :  "Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but 
that  He  loved  us,  and  sent  His  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for 


"LOVE  THA T  PASSETH  KNOWLEDGE, "  15 

our  sins."  He  loved  us  before  we  ever  thought  of  loving  Him. 
You  loved  your  children  before  they  knew  anything  about 
your  love.  And  so,  long  before  we  ever  thought  of  God,  we 
were  in  His  thoughts. 

What  brought  the  prodigal  home?  It  was  the  thought 
that  his  father  loved  him.  Suppose  the  news  had  reached 
him  that  he  was  cast  off,  and  that  his  father  did  not  care  for 
him  any  more,  would  he  have  gone  back?  Never!  But  the 
thought  dawned  upon  him  that  his  father  loved  him  still :  so 
he  rose  up,  and  went  back  to  his  home.  Dear  reader,  the 
love  of  the  Father  ought  to  bring  us  back  to  Him.  It  was 
Adam's  calamity  and  sin  that  revealed  God's  love.  When 
Adam  fell  God  came  down  and  dealt  in  mercy  with  him.  If 
any  one  is  lost  it  will  not  be  because  God  does  not  love  him : 
it  will  be  because  he  has  resisted  the  love  of  God. 

What  will  make  Heaven  attractive  ?  Is  it  the  pearly  gates, 
or  the  golden  streets?  No.  Heaven  wiU  be  attractive,  be- 
cause there  we  shall  behold  Him  who  loved  us  so  much  as  to 
give  His  only-begotten  Son  to  die  for  us.  What  makes  home 
attractive?  Is  it  the  beautiful  furniture  and  stately  rooms? 
No ;  some  homes  with  all  these  are  like  whited  sepulchres.  In 
Brooklyn  a  mother  was  dying;  and  it  was  necessary  to  take 
her  child  from  her,  because  the  little  child  could  not  under- 
stand the  nature  of  the  sickness,  and  disturbed  her  mother. 
Every  night  the  child  sobbed  herself  to  sleep  in  a  neighbor's 
house,  because  she  wanted  to  go  back  to  her  mother's;  but 
the  mother  grew  worse,  and  they  could  not  take  the  child 
home.  At  last  the  mother  died ;  and  after  her  death  they 
thought  it  best  not  to  let  the  child  see  her  dead  mother  in  her 
coffin.  After  the  burial  the  child  ran  into  one  room  crying 
"Mamma!  "mamma!"  and  then  into  another  crying  "Mamma! 
mamma!"  and  so  went  over  the  whole  house:  and  when  the 
little  creature  failed  to  find  that  loved  one  she  cried  to  be  taken. 


16  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

back  to  the  neighbors.  So  what  makes  heaven  attractive  ia 
the  thought  that  we  shall  see  Christ  who  has  loved  us  and 
given  Himself  for  us. 

If  you  ask  me  why  God  should  love  us,  I  cannot  tell.  I 
suppose  it  is  because  He  is  a  true  Father.  It  is  His  nature  to 
love ;  just  as  it  is  the  nature  of  the  sun  to  shine.  He  wants 
you  to  share  in  that  love.  Do  not  let  unbelief  keep  you  away 
from  Him.  Do  not  think  that,  because  you  are  a  sinner,  God 
does  not  love  you,  or  care  for  you.  He  does !  He  wants  to 
save  you  and  bless  you. 

"When  we  were  yet  without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ 
died  for  the  ungodly"  (Rom.  v.  6).  Is  that  not  enough  to  con- 
vince you  that  He  loves  you?  He  would  not  have  died  for  you 
if  He  had  not  loved  you.  Is  your  heart  so  hard  that  you  can 
brace  yourself  up  against  His  love,  and  spurn  and  despise  it? 
You  can  do  it;  but  it  will  be  at  your  peril. 

I  can  imagine  some  saying  to  themselves,  "Yes,  we  be- 
lieve that  God  loves  us,  if  we  love  Him ;  we  believe  that  God 
loves  the  pure  and  the  holy."  Let  me  say,  my  friend,  not 
only  does  God  love  the  pure  and  the  holy :  He  also  loves  the 
ungodly.  "God  commendeth  His  love  toward  us,  in  that, 
while  we  were  yet  dnners,  Christ  died  for  us"  (Rom.  v.  8).  God 
sent  him  to  die  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world.  If  you  belong 
to  the  world,  then  you  have  part  and  lot  in  this  love  that  has, 
been  exhibited  in  the  cross  of  Christ. 

There  is  a  passage  in  Revelation  (i.  5.)  which  I  think  a 
great  deal  of — "Unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us." 
It  might  be  thought  that  God  would  first  wash  us,  and  then 
love  us.  But  no,  He  first  loved  us.  About  eight  years  ago 
the  whole  country  was  intensely  excited  about  Charlie  Ross,  a 
child  of  four  years  old,  who  was  stolen.  Two'  men  in  a  gig 
asked  him  and  an  elder  brother  if  they  wanted  some  candy. 
They  then  drove  away  with  the  younger  boy,  leaving  the  elder 


"LOVE  THAT  PASSETH  KNOWLEDGE."  17 


one.  For  many  years  a  search  has  been  made  in  every  State 
and  territory.  Men  have  been  over  to  Great  Britain,  France, 
and  Germany,  and  have  hunted  in  vain  fot  the  child.  The 
mother  still  lives  in  the  hope  that  she  will  see  her  long  lost 
Charlie.  I  never  remember  the  whole  country  to  have  been 
60  much  agitated  about  any  event  unless  it  was  the  assassin- 
ation of  President  Garfield.  Well,  suppose  the  mother  of 
Charlie  Ross  were  in  some  meeting;  and  that  while  the 
preacher  was  speaking,  she  happened  to  look  down  amongst 
the  audience  and  see  her  long  lost  son.  Suppose  that  he  was 
poor,  dirty  and  ragged,  shoeless  and  coatless,  what  would  she 
do?  Would  she  wait  till  he  was  washed  and  decently  clothed 
before  she  would  acknowledge  him?  No,  she  would  get  off 
the  platform  at  once,  rush  towards  him  and  take  him  in  her 
arms.  After  that  she  would  cleanse  and  clothe  him.  So  it  is 
with  God.  He  loved  us,  and  washed  us.  I  can  imagine  one 
saying,  "If  God  loves  me,  why  does  He  not  make  me  good?" 
God  wants  sons  and  daughters  in  heaven;  He  does  not  want 
machines  or  slaves.  He  could  break  our  stubborn  hearts,  but 
He  wants  to  draw  us  towards  Himself  by  the  cords  of  love. 

He  wanted  you  to  sit  down  with  Him  at  the  marriage  sup- 
per of  the  Lamb;  to  wash  you,  and  make  you  whiter  than 
snow.  He  wants  you  to  walk  with  Him  the  crystal  pavement 
of  yonder  blissful  world.  He  wants  to  adopt  you  into  His 
family;  and  to  make  you  a  son  or  a  daughter  of  heaven.  Will 
you  trample  His  love  under  your  feet?  or  will  you,  this  hour, 
give  yourself  to  Him  ? 

When  our  terrible  civil  war  was  going  on,  a  mother  re» 
ceived  the  news  that  her  boy  had  been  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness.  She  took  the  first  train,  and  started  for 
her  boy,  although  the  order  had  gone  forth  from  the  War 
Department  that  no  more  women  should  be  admitted  within 
the  lines.     But  a  mother's  love  knows  nothing  about  orders; 


18  THE  WAY  TO  QOD. 

so  she  managed  by  tears  and  entreaties  to  get  through  the^ 
lines  to  the  Wilderness.  At  last  she  found  the  hospital  where? 
her  boy  was.  Then  she  went  to  the  doctor  and  she  said :: 
"  Will  you  let  me  go  to  the  ward  and  nurse  my  boy?" 

The  doctor  said:  *'  I  have  just  got  your  boy  to  sleep;  he* 
is  in  a  very  critical  state ;  and  I  am  afraid  if  you  wake  him  up 
the  excitement  will  be  so  great  that  it  will  carry  him  off.  You; 
had  better  wait  awhile,  and  remain  without  until  I  tell  him 
that  you  have  come,  and  break  the  news  gradually  to  him." 
The  mother  looked  into  the  doctor's  face  and  said :  "  Doctor, 
supposing  my  boy  does  not  wake  up,  and  I  should  never  see 
him  alive!  Let  me  go  and  sit  down  by  his  side;  I  won't 
speak  to  him."  '•  If  you  will  not  speak  to  him  you  may 
do  60,"  said  the  doctor. 

She  crept  to  the  cot  and  looked  into  the  face  of  her  boy. 
How  she  had  longed  to  look  at  him !  How  her  eyes  seemed 
to  be  feasting  as  she  gazed  upon  his  countenance!  When  she 
got  near  enough  she  could  not  keep  her  hands  off;  she  laid 
that  tender,  loving  hand  upon  his  brow.  The  moment  the 
hand  touched  the  forehead  of  her  boy,  he,  without  opening 
his  eyes,  cried  out:  "Mother,  you  have  come!"  He  knew 
the  touch  of  that  loving  hand.  There  was  love  and  sympathy 
in  it. 

Ah,  sinner,  if  you  feel  the  loving  touch  of  Jesus  you  will 
recognize  it;  it  is  so  full  of  tenderness.  The  world  may  treat 
you  unkindly ;  but  Christ  never  will.  You  will  never  have  a 
better  Friend  in  this  world.  What  you  need  is— to  come  to- 
day to  Him.  Let  His  loving  arm  be  underneath  you;  let  His 
loving  hand  be  about  you ;  and  He  will  hold  you  with  mighty 
power.  He  will  keep  you,  and  fill  that  heart  of  yours  with 
His  tenderness  and  love. 

I  can  imagine  some  of  you  saying,  "  How  shall  I  go  to 
Him?"     Why,  just  as  you  would  go  to  your  mother.     Have 


"LO  VE  THA  T  PA SSETH  KNO  WLEDGE. "  1 9 

you  done  your  mother  a  great  injury  and  a  great  wrong?  If 
so,  you  go  to  her  and  you  say,  *«  Mother,  I  want  you  to  for- 
give me."  Treat  Christ  in  the  same  way.  Go  to  Him  to-day 
and  tell  Him  that  you  have  not  loved  Him,  that  you  have  not 
treated  Him  right;  confess  you  sins,  and  see  how  quickly  He 
will  hless  you. 

I  am  reminded  of  another  incident — that  of  a  boy  who 
had  been  tried  by  court-martial  and  ordered  to  be  shot.  The 
hearts  of  the  father  and  mother  were  broken  when  they  heard 
the  news.  In  that  home  was  a  little  girl.  She  had  read  the 
life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  she  said:  "  Now,  if  Abraham 
Lincoln  knew  how  my  father  and  mother  loved  their  boy,  he 
would  not  let  my  brother  be  shot."  She  wanted  her  father  to 
go  to  Washington  to  plead  for  his  boy.  But  the  father  said : 
"No;  there  is  no  use;  the  law  must  take  its  course.  They 
have  refused  to  pardon  one  or  two  who  have  been  sentenced 
by  that  court-martial,  and  an  order  has  gone  forth  that  the 
President  is  not  going  to  interfere  again ;  if  a  man  has  been 
sentenced  by  court-martial  he  must  suffer  the  consequences." 
That  father  and  mother  had  not  faith  to  believe  that  their  boy 
might  be  pardoned. 

But  the  little  girl  was  strong  in  hope ;  she  got  on  the  train 
away  up  in  Vermont,  and  started  olf  to  Washington.  When 
she  reached  the  White  House  the  soldiers  refused  to  let  her  in; 
but  she  told  her  x:)itiful  story,  and  they  allowed  her  to  pass. 
When  she  got  to  the  Secretary's  room,  where  the  President's 
private  secretary  was,  he  refused  to  allow  her  to  enter  the 
private  office  of  the  President.  But  the  little  girl  told  her 
story,  and  it  touched  the  heart  of  the  private  secretary;  so  he 
passed  her  in.  As  she  went  into  Abraham  Lincoln's  room, 
there  were  United  States  senators,  generals,  governors  and 
leading  politicians,  who  were  there  about  important  business 
about  the  war;  but  the  President  happened  to  see  that  child 


20  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

standing  at  his  door.  He  wanted  to  know  what  she  wanted, 
and  she  went  right  to  him  and  told  her  story  in  her  own  lan- 
guage. He  was  a  father,  and  the  great  tears  trickled  down 
Abraham  Lincoln's  cheeks.  He  wrote  a  dispatch  and  sent  it 
to  the  army  to  have  that  boy  sent  to  Washington  at  once. 
When  he  arrived,  the  President  pardoned  him,  gave  him  thirty 
days'  furlough,  and  sent  him  home  with  the  little  girl  to  cheer 
the  hearts  of  the  father  and  mother. 

Do  you  want  to  know  how  to  go  to  Christ?  Go  just  as 
that  little  girl  went  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  may  be  possible 
that  you  have  a  dark  story  to  tell.  Tell  it  all  out ;  keep  noth- 
ing back.  If  Abraham  Lincoln  had  compassion  on  that  little 
girl,  heard  her  petition  and  answered  it,  do  you  think  the 
Lord  Jesus  will  not  hear  your  prayer?  Do  you  think  that 
Abraham  Lincoln,  or  any  man  that  ever  lived  on  earth,  had 
as  much  compassion  as  Christ?  No!  He  will  be  touched  when 
no  one  else  will ;  He  will  have  mercy  when  no  one  else  will ; 
He  will  have  pity  when  no  one  else  will.  If  you  will  go  right 
to  Him,  confessing  your  sin  and  your  need,  He  will  save  you. 

A  few  years  ago  a  man  left  England  and  went  to  America. 
He  was  an  Englishman ;  but  he  was  naturalized,  and  so  be- 
came an  American  citizen.  After  a  few  years  he  felt  restless 
and  dissatisfied,  and  went  to  Cuba;  and  after  he  had  been  in 
Cuba  a  little  while  civil  war  broke  out  there;  it  was  in  1867; 
and  this  man  was  arrested  by  the  Spanish  government  as  a 
spy.  He  was  tried  by  court-martial,  found  guilty  and  ordered 
to  be  shot.  The  whole  trial  was  conducted  in  the  Spanish 
language,  and  the  poor  man  did  not  know  what  was  going  on. 
When  they  told  him  the  verdict,  that  he  was  found  guilty  and 
had  been  condemned  tcf  be  shot,  he  sent  to  the  American  Con- 
sul and  the  English  Consul,  and  laid  the  whole  case  before 
them,  proving  his  innocence  and  claiming  protection.  They 
examined  the  case,  and  found  that  this  man  whom  the  Span- 


"LOVE  THAT  PASSETH  KNOWLEDGE:.^  21 

ish  officers  had  condemned  to  be  shot  was  perfectly  innocent; 
they  went  to  the  Spanish  General  and  said,  *' Look  here,  this 
man  whom  you  have  condemned  to  death  is  an  innocent  man ; 
he  is  not  guilty."  But  the  Spanish  General  said,  '« He  has 
been  tried  by  our  law;  he  has  been  found  guilty;  he  must 
die."  There  was  no  electric  cable;  and  these  men  could  not 
consult  with  their  governments. 

The  morning  came  on  which  the  man  was  to  be  executed. 
He  was  brought  out  sitting  on  his  coffin  in  a  cart,  and  drawn 
to  the  place  where  he  was  to  be  executed.  A  grave  was  dug. 
They  took  the  coffin  out  of  the  cart,  placed  the  young  man 
upon  it,  took  the  black  cap,  and  were  just  pulling  it  down  over 
his  face.  The  Spanish  soldiers  awaited  the  order  to  fire.  But 
just  then  the  American  and  English  Consuls  rode  up.  The 
English  Consul  sprang  out  of  the  carriage  and  took  the  union 
jack,  the  British  flag,  and  wrapped  it  around  the  man,  and  the 
American  Consul  wrapped  around  him  the  star-spangled  ban- 
ner, and  then  turning  to  the  Spanish  officers  they  said:  "Fire 
upon  those  flags,  if  you  dare."  They  did  not  dare  to  fire  upon 
the  flags.  There  were  two  great  governments  behind  those 
flags.     That  was  the  secret  of  it. 

"He  brought  me  to  the  banqueting  house,  and  His  banner 
over  me  was  love.  .  .  .  His  left  hand  is  under  my  head 
and  His  right  hand  doth  embrace  me"  (Song  Sol.  ii.  4,  6). 
Thank  God  we  can  come  under  the  banner  to-day  if  we  will. 
Any  poor  sinner  can  come  under  that  banner  to-day.  His 
banner  of  love  is  over  us.  Blessed  Gospel;  blessed,  precious, 
news.  Believe  it  to-day;  receive  it  into  your  heart;  and  enter 
into  a  new  hfe.  Let  the  love  of  God  be  shed  abroad  in  your 
heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to-day:  it  will  drive  away  darkness; 
it  will  drive  away  gloom ;  it  will  drive  away  sin ;  and  peace 
and  joy  shall  be  yours. 


22  THE  WAY  TO  QOD. 


CHAPTER   II. 
THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM. 

"  Except  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God." 
(John  iii.  3.) 

There  is  no  portion  of  the  Word  of  God,  perhaps,  with 
which  we  are  more  familiar  than  this  passage.  I  suppose  if  I 
were  to  ask  those  in  any  audience  if  they  beheved  that  Jesus 
Christ  taught  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Birth,  nine  tenths  of 
them  would  say:   "Yes,  I  believe  He  did." 

Now  if  the  words  of  this  text  are  true  they  embody  one  of 
the  most  solemn  questions  that  can  come  before  us.  We  can 
afford  to  be  deceived  about  many  things  rather  than  about 
this  one  thing.  Christ  makes  it  very  plain.  He  says,  "Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God" 
— much  less  inherit  it.  This  doctrine  of  the  New  Birth  is 
therefore  the  foundation  of  all  our  hopes  for  the  world  to  come. 
It  is  really  the  A  B  C  of  the  Christian  religion.  My  experi- 
ence has  been  this — that  if  a  man  is  unsound  on  this  doctrine 
he  will  be  unsound  on  almost  every  other  fundamental  doc- 
trine in  the  Bible.  A  true  understanding  of  this  subject  will 
help  a  man  to  solve  a  thousand  difficulties  that  he  may  meet 
with  in  the  Word  of  God.  Things  that  before  seemed  very 
dark  and  mysterious  will  become  very  plain. 

The  doctrine  of  the  New  Birth  upsets  all  false  religion — 
all  false  views  about  the  Bible  and  about  God.  A  friend  of 
mine  once  told  me  that  in  one  of  his  after-meetings,  a  man 
came  to  him  with  a  long  list  of  questions  written  out  for  him 
to  una-wer.    He  said:  "  If  you  can  answer  these  questions  sat- 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  23 

isfactorily,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  be  a  Christian."  "  Do 
you  not  think,"  said  my  friend,  '*  that  you  hau  better  come  to 
Christ  first?  Then  you  can  look  into  these  questions."  The 
man  tho.ught  that  perhaps  he  had  better  do  so.  After  he  had 
received  Christ,  he  looked  again  at  his  list  of  questions;  but 
Ihen  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  they  had  all  been  answered.  Nico- 
flemus  came  \^ith  his  troubled  mind,  and  Christ  said  to  him, 
''  Ye  must  be  born  again."  He  was  treated  altogether  differ- 
ently from  what  he  expected ;  but  I  venture  to  Say  that  was 
ihe  most  blessed  night  in  all  his  life.  To  be  *'  born  again"  is 
the  greatest  blessing  that  will  ever  come  to  us  in  this  world. 

Notice  how  the  Scripture  puts  it.  "  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,"  **  born  from  above,"*  "  born  of  the  Spirit."  From 
amongst  a  number  of  other  passages  where  we  find  this  word 
"EXCEPT,"  I  would  just  name  three.  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish."  (Luke  xiii.  3,  5.)  "Except  ye  be 
converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  in- 
to the  kingdom  of  heaven."  (Matt,  xviii.  3.)  "  Except  your 
righteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaveii."  (Matt.  v.  20.)  They  all  really  mean  the  same 
thing. 

I  am  so  thankful  that  our  Lord  spoke  of  the  New  Birth  to 
this  ruler  of  the  Jews,  this  doctor  of  the  law,  rather  than  to 
the  w^oman  at  the  well  of  Samaria,  or  to  Matthew  the  publican, 
or  to  Zaccheus.  If  He  had  reserved  his  teaching  on  this  great 
matter  for  these  three,  or  such  as  these,  people  would  have 
said:  ♦•  Oh  yes,  these  publicans  and  harlots  need  to  be  con- 
verted: but  I  am  an  upright  man;  I  do  not  need  to  be  con- 
verted." I  suppose  Nicodemus  was  one  of  the  best  specimens 
of  the  people  of  Jerusalem :  there  was  nothing  on  record 
Hgainst  him. 

♦John  iii.  3.    Marginal  reading. 


24  TBE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

I  think  it  is  scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  prove  that  we 
need  to  be  born  again  before  we  are  meet  for  heaven.  I  ven- 
ture to  say  that  there  is  no  candid  man  but  would  say  he  is 
not  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  until  he  is  born  of  another 
Spirit.  The  Bible  teaches  us  that  man  by  nature  is  lost  and 
guilty,  and  our  experience  confirms  this.  We  know  also  that 
the  best  and  holiest  man,  if  he  turn  away  from  God,  will  very 
soon  fall  into  sin. 

Now,  let  me  say  what  Eegeneration  is  not.  It  is  not  go- 
ing to  church.  Very  often  I  see  people,  and  ask  them  if  they 
are  Christians.  "Yes,  of  course  I  am;  at  least,  I  think  lam: 
I  go  to  church  every  Sunday."  Ah,  but  this  is  not  Regenera- 
tion. Others  say,  "I  am  trying  to  do  what  is  right — am  I 
not  a  Christian?  Is  not  that  a  new  birth?"  No.  What  has 
that  to  do  with  being  born  again?  There  is  yet  another  class 
— those  who  have  •'  turned  over  a  new  leaf,"  and  think  they 
are  regenerated.  No;  forming  a  new  resolution  is  not  being 
born  again. 

Nor  will  being  baptized  do  you  any  good.  Yet  you  hear 
people  say,  "Why,  I  have  been  baptized;  and  1  was  born  again 
when  I  was  baptized."  They  believe  that  because  they  were 
baptized  into  the  church,  they  were  baptized  into  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  I  tell  you  that  it  is  utterly  impossible.  Y^ou  may  be 
baptized  into  the  church,  and  yet  not  be  baptized  into  the  Son 
of  God.  Baptism  is  all  right  in  its  place.  God  forbid  that  I 
should  say  anything  against  it.  But  if  you  put  that  in  the 
place  of  Regeneration — in  the  place  of  the  New  Birth — it  is  a 
terrible  mistake.  You  cannot  be  baptized  into  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  King- 
dom of  God."  If  any  one  reading  this  rests  his  hopes  on  any- 
thing else — on  any  other  foundation — I  pray  that  God  may 
sweep  it  away. 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  25 

Another  class  say,  **I  go  to  the  Lord's  Supper;  'Lpartake 
uniformly  of  the  Sacrament."  Blessed  ordinance-!  Jesus 
hath  said  that  as  often  as  ye  do  it  ye  commemorate  Sis  death. 
Yet,  that  is  not  being  "  born  again;"  that  is  not  passing  from 
death  unto  life.  Jesus  says  plainly — and  so  plainly  that  there 
need  not  be  any  mistake  about  it — **  Except  a  man  be  born  of 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God."  What 
has  a  sacrament  to  do  with  that?  What  has  going  to  church 
to  do  with  being  born  again? 

Another  man  comes  up  and  says,  "  I  say  my  prayers  reg- 
ularly." Still  I  say  that  is  not  being  born  of  the  Spirit.  It  is 
a  very  solemn  question,  then,  that  comes  up  before  us ;  and  oh ! 
that  every  reader  would  ask  himself  earnestly  and  faithfully : 
•'  Have  I  been  born  again?  Have  I  been  born  of  the  Spirit? 
Have  I  passed  from  death  unto  life?" 

There  is  a  class  of  men  who  say  that  special  rehgious 
meetings  are  very  good  for  a  certain  class  of  people.  They 
would  be  very  good  if  you  could  get  the  drunkard  there,  or  get 
the  gambler  there,  or  get  other  vicious  people  there — that 
would  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  But  "  we  do  not  need  to  be 
converted."  To  whom  did  Christ  utter  these  words  of  wis- 
dom? To  Nicodemus.  Who  was  Nicodemus?  Was  he  a 
dic^^-iard,  a  gambler,  or  a  thief?  No!  No  doubt  he  was  one 
of  tne  very  best  men  in  Jerusalem.  He  was  an  honorable 
Councillor;  he  belonged  to  the  Sanhedrim;  he  held  a  very 
high  position ;  he  was  an  orthodox  man ;  he  was  one  of  the 
very  soundest  men.  And  yet  what  did  Christ  say  to  him? 
'•Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

But  I  can  imagine  some  one  saying,  "  What  am  I  to  do? 
I  cannot  create  life.  I  certainly  cannot  save  myself."  You 
certainly  cannot ;  and  we  do  not  claim  that  you  can.  We  tell 
you  it  is  utterly  impossible   to   make  a  man   better  without 


26  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


Christ;  but  that  is  what  men  are  trying  to  do.  They  are  try- 
ing to  patch  up  this  •'  old  Adam"  nature.  There  must  be  a 
NEW  creation.  Eegeneration  is  a  new  creation ;  and  if  it  is  a 
new  creation  it  must  be  the  work  of  God.  In  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis  man  does  not  appear.  There  is  no  one  there  but 
God.  Man  is  not  there  to  take  part.  When  God  created  the 
earth  He  was  alone.  When  Christ  redeemed  the  world  He  was* 
alone. 

'*  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh ;  and  that  which 
is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit."  (John  iii.  6.)  The  Ethiopian 
cannot  change  his  skin,  and  the  leopard  cannot  change  his 
spots.  You  might  as  well  try  to  make  yourselves  pure  and 
holy  without  the  help  of  God.  It  would  be  just  as  easy  for 
you  to  do  that  as  for  the  black  man  to  wash  himself  white.  A 
man  might  just  as  well  try  to  leap  over  the  moon  as  to  serve 
God  in  the  flesh.  Therefore,  "  that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh 
is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit." 

Now  God  tells  us  in  this  chapter  how  we  are  to  get  into 
His  kingdom.  We  are  not  to  work  our  way  in — not  but  that 
salvation  is  worth  working  for.  We  admit  all  that.  If  there 
were  rivers  and  mountains  in  the  way,  it  would  be  well  worth 
while  to  swim  those  rivers,  and  climb  those  mountains.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  salvation  is  worth  all  that  effort;  but  we  do 
not  obtain  it  by  our  works.  It  is  "  to  him  that  worketh  not, 
but  believeth  "  (Rom.  iv.  5).  We  work  because  we  are  saved; 
we  do  not  work  to  be  saved.  We  work  from  the  cross;  but 
mot  towards  it.  It  is  written,  •♦  Work  out  your  own  salvation 
Avith  fear  and  trembling"  (Phil.  ii.  12).  Why,  you  must 
Iiave  your  salvation  before  you  can  work  it  out.  Suppose  I 
say  to  my  little  boy,  **  I  want  you  to  spend  that  hundred  dol- 
lars carefully."  "  Well,"  he  says,  "  let  me  have  the  hundred 
dollars;  and  I  will  be  careful  how  I  spend  it."  I  remember 
when  I  first  left  home  and  went  to  Boston;  I  had  spent  all  my 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  27 

money,  and  I  went  to  the  post-office  three  times  a  day.  I 
knew  there  was  only  one  mail  a  day  from  home ;  but  I  thought 
by  some  possibility  there  might  be  a  letter  for  me.  At  last  I 
received  a  letter  from  my  little  sister;  and  oh,  how  glad  I  was 
to  get  it.  She  had  heard  that  there  were  a  great  many  pick- 
pockets in  Boston,  and  a  large  part  of  that  letter  was  to  urge 
me  to  be  very  careful  not  to  let  anybody  pick  my  pocket.  Now 
I  required  to  have  something  in  my  pocket  before  I  could 
have  it  picked.  So  you  must  have  salvation  before  you  can 
work  it  out. 

When  Christ  cried  out  on  Calvary,  "It  is  finished!"  He 
meant  what  He  said.  All  that  men  have  to  do  now  is  just  to 
accept  of  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  hope  for  man 
or  woman  so  long  as  they  are  trying  to  work  out  salvation  for 
themselves.  I  can  imagine  there  are  some  people  who  will 
say,  as  Nicodemus  possibly  did,  "This  is  a  very  mysterious 
thing."  I  see  the  scowl  on  that  Pharisee's  brow  as  he  says, 
"How  can  these  things  be?"  It  sounds  very  strange  to  his 
ear.  "Born  again;  born  of  the  Spirit!  How  can  these  things 
be?"  A  great  many  people  say,  "You  must  reason  it  out;  but 
if  you  do  not  reason  it  out,  do  not  ask  us  to  believe  it. "  I  can 
imagine  a  great  many  people  saying  that.  When  you  ask  me 
to  reason  it  out,  I  tell  you  frankly  I  cannot  do  it.  "The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound 
thereof,  but  canst  not  teU  whence  it  cometh  and  whither  it 
goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit."  (John  iii. 
8.)  I  do  not  understand  everything  about  the  wind.  You 
ask  me  to  reason  it  out.  I  cannot.  It  may  blow  due  north 
here,  and  a  hundred  miles  away  due  south.  I  may  go  up  a 
few  hundred  feet,  and  find  it  blowing  in  an  entirely  opposite 
direction  from  what  it  is  down  here.  You  ask  me  to  explain 
these  currents  of  wind;  but  suppose  that,  because  I  cannot 
explain  them,  and  do  not  understand  them,  I  were  to  take  my 


28  TBE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


stand  and  assert,  "Oh,  there  ia  no  such  thing  as  wmd."  I 
can  imagine  some  little  girl  saying,  "I  know  more  about  it 
than  that  man  does;  often  have  I  heard  the  wind,  and  felt  it 
blowing  against  my  face;"  and  she  might  say,  "Did  not  the 
wind  blow  my  umbrtella  out  of  my  hands  the  other  day?  and 
did  I  not  see  it  blow  a  man's  hat  off  in  the  street?  Have  I 
not  seen  it  blow  the  trees  in  the  forest,  and  the  growing  corn 
in  the  country?" 

You  might  just  as  well  tell  me  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  wind,  as  tell  me  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  man 
being  born  of  the  Spirit.  I  have  felt  the  spirit  of  God  working 
in  my  heart,  just  as  really  and  as  truly  as  I  have  felt  the  wind 
blowing  in  my  face.  I  cannot  reason  it  out.  There  are  a  great 
many  things  I  cannot  reason  out,  but  which  I  believe.  I 
never  could  reason  out  the  creation.  I  can  see  the  world,  but 
I  cannot  tell  how  God  made  it  out  of  nothing.  But  almost 
every  man  will  admit  there  was  a  creative  power. 

There  are  a  great  many  things  that  I  cannot  explain  and 
cannot  reason  out,  and  yet  that  I  believe.  I  heard  a  commer- 
cial traveler  say  that  he  had  heard  that  the  ministry  and 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  were  matters  of  revelation  and  not  of 
investigation.  "When  it  pleased  God  to  reveal  His  Son  in 
Me,"  says  Paul  (Gal.  i,  15,  16).  There  was  a  party  of  young 
men  together,  going  up  the  country;  and  on  their  journey 
they  made  up  their  minds  not  to  believe  anything  they  could 
not  reason  out.  An  old  man  heard  them ;  and  presently  he 
said,  «'I  heard  you  say  you  would  not  believe  anything  you 
could  not  reason  out."  "Yes,"  they  said,  "that  is  so." 
"Well,"  he  said,  "coming  down  on  the  train  to-day,  I  noticed 
some  geese,  some  sheep,  some  swine,  and  some  cattle  all 
eating  grass.  Can  you  tell  me  by  what  process  that  same 
grass  was  turned  into  hair,  feathers,  bristles  and  wool?  Do 
you  believe  it  is  a  fact?"     "Oh  yes,"  they  said,  "we  cannot 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  29 

help  believing  that,  though  we  fail  to  understand  it."  "Well," 
said  the  old  man,  "I  cannot  help  believing  in  Jesus  Christ." 
And  I  cannot  help  believing  in  the  regeneration  of  man,  when 
I  see  men  who  have  been  reclaimed,  when  I  see  men  who  have 
been  reformed.  Have  not  some  of  the  very  worst  men  been 
regenerated — been  picked  up  out  of  the  pit,  and  had  their  feet 
set  upon  the  Kock,  and  a  new  song  put  in  their  mouths? 
Their  tongues  were  cursing  and  blaspheming;  and  now  are 
occupied  in  praising  God.  Old  things  have  passed  away,  and 
all  things  have  become  new.  They  are  not  reformed  only,  but 
REGENERATED — ucw  mcu  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Down  there  in  the  dark  alleys  of  one  of  our  great  cities  is 
a  poor  drunkard.  I  think  if  you  want  to  get  near  hell,  you 
should  go  to  a  poor  drunkard's  home.  Go  to  the  house  of  that 
poor  miserable  drunkard.  Is  there  anything  more  like  hell  on 
earth?  See  the  want  and  distress  that  reign  there.  But 
hark !  A  footstep  is  heard  at  the  door,  and  the  children  run 
and  hide  themselves.  The  patient  wife  waits  to  meet  the 
man.  He  has  been  her  torment.  Many  a  time  she  has  borne 
about  the  marks  of  his  blows  for  weeks.  Many  a  time  that 
strong  right  hand  has  been  brought  down  on  her  defenseless 
head.  And  now  she  waits  expecting  to  hear  his  oaths  and 
suffer  his  brutal  treatment.  He  comes  in  and  says  to  her:  "I 
have  been  to  the  meeting;  and  I  heard  there  that  if  I  will  I 
can  be  converted.  I  believe  that  God  is  able  to  save  me." 
Go  down  to  that  house  again  in  a  few  weeks:  and  what  a 
change !  As  you  approach  you  hear  some  one  singing.  It  is 
not  the  song  of  a  reveller,  but  the  strains  of  that  good  old 
hymn,  "Rock  of  Ages."  The  children  are  no  longer  afraid  of 
the  man,  but  cluster  around  his  knee.  His  wife  is  near  him, 
her  face  lit  up  with  a  happy  glow.  Is  not  that  a  picture  of 
Regeneration?  I  can  take  you  to  many  such  homes,  made 
happy  by  the  regenerating  power  of  the  religion  of  Christ. 


30  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


"What  men  want  is  the  power  to  overcome  temptation,  the 
power  to  lead  a  right  hfe. 

The  only  way  to  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God  is  to  be 
"born"  into  it.  The  law  of  this  country  requires  that  the 
President  should  be  born  in  the  country.  When  foreigners 
come  to  our  shores  they  have  no  right  to  complain  agaiust 
such  a  law,  which  forbids  them  from  ever  becoming  Presidents. 
Now,  has  not  God  a  right  to  make  a  law  that  all  those  who 
become  heirs  of  eternal  life  must  be  "  born  "  into  His  king- 
dom? 

An  unregenerated  man  would  rather  be  in  hell  than  in 
heaven.  Take  a  man  whose  heart  is  full  of  corruption  and 
wickedness,  and  place  him  in  heaven  among  the  pure,  the  holy 
and  the  redeemed;  and  he  would  not  want  to  stay  there.  Cer- 
tainly, if  we  are  to  be  happy  in  heaven  we  must  begin  to  make 
a  heaven  here  on  earth.  Heaven  is  a  prepared  place  for  a 
prepared  people.  If  a  gambler  or  a  blasphemer  were  taken 
out  of  the  streets  of  New  York  and  placed  on  the  crystal  pave- 
ment of  heaven  and  under  the  shadow  of  the  tree  of  life,  he 
would  say,  •'  I  do  not  want  to  stay  here."  If  men  were  taken 
to  heaven  just  as  they  are  by  nature,  without  having  their 
hearts  regenerated,  there  would  be  another  rebellion  in  heaven. 
Heaven  is  filled  with  a  company  of  those  who  have  been  twice 

BORN. 

In  the  14th  and  15th  verses  of  this  chapter  we  read  "  As 
Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must 
the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up ;  that  whosoever  believe th  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  "WHOSOEVER." 
Mark  that!  Let  me  tell  you  who  are  unsaved  what  God  has 
done  for  you.  He  has  done  everything  that  He  could  do  to- 
ward your  salvation.  You  need  not  wait  for  God  to  do  any- 
thing more.  In  one  place  he  asks  the  question,  what  more 
could  he  have  done  (Isaiah  v.  4).     He  sent  His  prophets,  and 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  31 

they  killed  them;  then  He  sent  His  beloved  Son,  and  they 
murdered  Him.  Now  He  has  sent  the  Holy  Spirit  to  con- 
vince us  of  sin,  and  to  show  how  we  are  to  be  saved. 

In  this  chapter  we  are  told  how  men  are  to  be  saved, 
namely,  by  Him  who  was  lifted  up  on  the  cross.  Just  as 
Moses  lifted  up  the  brazen  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  must 
the  Son  of  Man  be  hftedup,  •*  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  Some  men  com- 
plain and  say  that  it  is  very  unreasonable  that  they  should  be 
held  responsible  for  the  sin  of  a  man  six  thousand  years  ago. 
It  was  not  long  ago  that  a  man  was  talking  to  me  about 
this  injustice,  as  he  called  it.  If  a  man  thinks  he  is  going 
to  answer  God  in  that  way,  I  tell  you  it  will  not  do  him  any 
good.     If  you  are  lost,  it  will  not  be  on  account  of  Adam's  sin. 

Let  me  illustrate  this;  and  perhaps  you  will.be  better  able 
to  understand  it.  Suppose  I  am  dying  of  consumption,  which 
I  inherited  from  my  father  or  mother.  I  did  not  get  the  dis- 
ease by  any  fault  of  my  own,  by  any  neglect  of  my  health;  I 
inherited  it,  let  us  suppose.  A  friend  happens  to  come  along: 
he  looks  at  me,  and  says:  "  Moody,  you  are  in  a  consump- 
tion." I  reply,  •'  I  know  it  very  well;  I  do  not  want  any  one 
to  tell  me  that."  '•  But,"  he  says,  "  there  is  a  remedy." 
'  ♦  But,  sir,  I  do  not  believe  it.  I  have  tried  the  leading 
physicians  in  this  country  and  in  Europe;  and  they  tell  me 
there  is  no  hope."  "But  you  know  me.  Moody;  you  have 
known  me  for  years."  "  Yes,  sir."  *'  Do  you  think,  then,  I 
would  tell  you  a  falsehood?"  "No."  '•  Well,  ten  years  ago 
I  was  as  far  gone.  I  was  given  up  by  the  physicians  to  die; 
but  I  took  this  medicine  and  it  cured  me.  I  am  perfectly 
well:  look  at  me."  I  say  that  it  is  "  a  very  strange  case." 
"  Yes,  it  may  be  strange;  but  it  is  a  fact.  This  medicine 
cured  me  :  take  this  medicine,  and  it  will  cure  you.  Although 
it  hag  cost  me  a  great  deal,  it  shall  not  cost  you  anything.  Do 


32  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

aiot  make  light  of  it,  I  beg  of  you."  '«  Well,"  I  say,  "I  should 
iike  to  believe  you;  but  this  is  contrary  to  my  reason." 

Hearing  this,  my  friend  goes  away  and  returns  with  an- 
<other  friend,  and  that  one  testifies  to  the  same  thing.  I  am 
istill  disbelieving;  so  he  goes  away,  and  brings  in  another 
friend,  and  another,  and  another,  and  another;  and  they  all 
testify  to  the  same  thing.  They  say  they  were  as  bad  as  my- 
self; that  they  took  the  same  medicine  that  has  been  offered 
tome;  and  that  it  has  cured  them.  My  friend  then  hands 
me  the  medicine.  I  dash  it  to  the  ground;  I  do  not  believe  in 
its  saving  power ;  I  die.  The  reason  is  then  that  I  spurned 
the  remedy.  So,  if  you  perish,  it  will  not  be  because  Adam 
fell;  but  because  you  spurned  the  remedy  offered  to  save  you. 
You  v/ill  choose  darkness  rather  than  light.  "How  then  shall 
ye  escape,  if  ye  neglect  so  great  salvation?"  There  is  no  hope 
ior  you  if  you  neglect  the  remedy.  It  does  no  good  to  look  at 
the  wound.  If  we  had  been  in  the  Israelitish  camp  and  had 
been  bitten  by  one  of  the  fiery  serpents,  it  would  have  done  us 
no  good  to  look  at  the  wound.  Looking  at  the  wound  will 
never  save  any  one.  What  you  must  do  is  to  look  at  the 
Eemedy  —  look  away  to  Him  who  hath  power  to  save  you 
from  your  sin. 

Behold  the  camp  of  the  Israelites ;  look  at  the  scene  that 
is  pictured  to  your  eyes!  Many  are  dying  because  they 
neglect  the  remedy  that  is  offered.  In  that  arid  desert  is 
many  a  short  and  tiny  grave;  many  a  child  has  been  bitten  by 
the  fiery  serpents.  Fathers  and  mothers  are  bearing  away 
their  children.  Over  yonder  they  are  just  burying  a  mother; 
a  loved  mother  is  about  to  be  laid  in  the  earth.  All  the  family, 
weeping,  gather  around  the  beloved  form.  You  hear  the 
mournful  cries;  you  see  the  bitter  tears.  The  father  is  being 
borne  away  to  his  last  resting  place.  There  is  wailing  going 
up  all  over  the  camp.     Tears  are  pouring  down  for  thousands 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  33 

who  have  passed  away;  thousands  more  are  dying;  and  the 
plague  is  raging  from  one  end  of  the  camp  to  the  other. 

I  see  in  one  tent  an  Israehtish  mother  bending  over  the 
form  of  a  beloved  boy  just  coming  into  the  bloom  of  life,  just 
budding  into  manhood.  She  is  wiping  away  the  sweat  of 
death  that  is  gathering  upon  his  brow.  Yet  a  little  while, 
and  his  eyes  are  fixed  and  glassy,  for  life  is  ebbing  fast  away. 
The  mother's  heart-strings  are  torn  and  bleeding.  All  at  once 
she  hears  a  noise  in  the  camp.  A  great  shout  goes  up.  What 
does  it  mean?  She  goes  to  the  door  of  the  tent.  '*  What  is 
the  noise  in  the  camp?"  she  asks  those  passing  by.  And 
some  one  says :  **  Why,  my  good  woman,  have  you  not  heard 
the  good  news  that  has  come  into  the  camp?"  **  No,"  says 
the  womauj  *•  Good  news!  What  is  it?"  "  Why,  have  you 
not  heard  about  it?  God  has  provided  a  remedy."  "  What! 
for  the  bitten  Israelities?  Oh,  tell  me  what  the  remedy  is!" 
"  Why,  God  has  instructed  Moses  to  make  a  brazen  serpent, 
and  to  put  it  on  a  pole  in  the  middle  of  the  camp ;  and  He 
has  declared  that  whosoever  looks  upon  it  shall  live.  The 
shout  that  you  hear  is  the  shout  of  the  people  when  they  see 
the  serpent  lifted  up."  The  mother  goes  back  into  the  tent, 
and  she  says:  *'  My  boy,  I  have  good  news  to  tell  you.  You 
need  not  die!  My  boy,  my  boy,  I  have  come  with  good 
tidings;  you  can  live!"  He  is  already  getting  stupefied;  he  is 
so  weak  he  cannot  walk  to  the  door  of  the  tent.  She  puts  her 
strong  arms  under  him  and  lifts  him  up.  ''Look  yonder; 
look  right  there  under  the  hill!"  But  the  boy  does  not  see 
anything;  he  says — "I  do  not  see  anything;  what  is  it» 
mother?"  And  she  says:  "Keep  looking,  and  you  will  see 
it."  At  last  he  catches  a  glimpse  of  the  glistening  serpent; 
and  lo,  he  is  well !  And  thus  it  is  with  many  a  young  convert. 
Some  men  say,  ."Oh,  we  do  not  believe  in  sudden  conver- 
sions."    How  long  did  it  take  to  cure  that  boy?     How  long 


34  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


did  it  take  to  cure  those  serpent-bitten  Israelites?     It  was  just 
a  look ;  and  they  were  well. 

That  Hebrew  boy  is  a  young  convert.  I  can  fancy  that  I 
see  him  now  calling  on  all  those  who  were  with  him  to  praise 
God.  He  sees  another  young  man  bitten  as  he  was;  and  he 
runs  up  to  him  and  tells  him,  **  You  need  not  die."  ♦*  Oh,'' 
the  young  man  replies,  "I  cannot  live;  it  is  not  possible. 
There  is  not  a  physician  in  Israel  who  can  cure  me."  He  does 
not  know  that  he  need  not  die.  '•  Why,  have  you  not  heard 
the  news?  God  has  provided  a  remedy."  "  What  remedy?" 
«<  Why,  God  has  told  Moses  to  lift  up  a  brazen  serpent,  and 
has  said  that  none  of  those  who  look  upon  that  serpent  shall 
die."  I  can  just  imagine  the  young  man.  He  may  be  what 
you  call  an  intellectual  young  man.  He  says  to  the  young 
convert:  "  You  do  not  think  I  am  going  to  believe  anything 
like  that?  If  the  physicians  in  Israel  cannot  cure  me,  how  do 
you  think  that  an  old  brass  serpent  on  a  pole  is  going  to  cure 
me?"  "  Wh^  sir,  I  was  as  bad  as  yourself!"  '*  Y^ou  do  not 
say  so!"  "Yes,  I  do."  "That  is  the  most  astonishing 
thing  I  ever  heard,"  says  the  young  man:  "I  wish  you 
would  explain  the  philosophy  of  it."  "I  cannot.  I  only 
know  that  I  looked  at  that  serpent,  and  I  was  cured :  that  did 
it.  I  just  looked;  that  is  all.  My  mother  told  me  the  re- 
ports that  were  being  heard  through  the  camp;  and  I  just  be- 
lieved what  my  mother  said,  and  I  am  perfectly  well."  "  Well, 
I  do  not  believe  you  were  bitten  as  badly  as  I  have  been." 
The  young  man  pulls  up  his  sleeve.  "Look  there!  That 
mark  shows  where  I  was  bitten ;  and  I  tell  you  I  was  worse 
than  you  are."  "  Well,  if  I  understood  the  philosophy  of  it  I 
would  look  and  get  well."  **  Let  your  philosophy  go:  Ino/i  and 
live.''  "  But,  sir,  you  ask  me  to  do  an  unreasonable  thing. 
If  God  had  said.  Take  the  brass  and  rub  it  into  the  wound, 
there  might  be  something  in  the  brass  that  would  cure  the  bite. 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  35 

Young  man,  explain  the  philosophy  of  it."  I  have  often  seen 
people  before  me  who  have  talked  in  that  way.  But  the 
young  man  calls  in  another,  and  takes  him  into  the  tent,  and 
Bays:  *'  Just  tell  him  how  the  Lord  saved  you;"  and  he  tells 
just  the  same  story;  and  he  calls  in  others,  and  they  all  say 
the  same  thing. 

The  young  man  says  it  is  a  very  strange  thing.  *'  If  the 
Lord  had  told  Moses  to  go  and  get  some  herbs,  or  roots,  and 
stew  them,  and  take  the  decoction  as  a  medicine,  there  would 
be  something  in  that.  But  it  is  so  contrary  to  nature  to 
do  such  a  thing  as  look  at  the  serpent,  that  I  cannot  do  it." 
At  length  his  mother,  who  has  been  out  in  the  camp,  comes 
in,  and  she  says,  "My  boy,  I  have  just  the  best  news  in 
the  world  for  you.  I  was  in  the  camp,  and  I  saw  hun- 
dreds who  were  very  far  gone,  and  they  are  all  perfectly 
well  now."  The  young  man  says :  ♦♦  I  should  like  to  get 
well;  it  is  a  very  painful  thought  to  die;  I  want  to  go  into 
the  promised  land,  and  it  is  terrible  to  die  here  in  this  wilder- 
ness; but  the  fact  is — I  do  not  understand  the  remedy.  It 
does  not  appeal  to  my  reason.  I  cannot  believe  that  I  can 
get  well  in  a  moment."  And  the  young  man  dies  in  conse- 
quence of  his  own  unbelief. 

God  provided  a  remedy  for  this  bitten  Israelite — *•  Look 
and  live!"  And  there  is  eternal  life  for  every  poor  sinner. 
Look,  and  you  can  be  saved,  my  reader,  this  very  hour.  God 
has  provided  a  remedy;  and  it  is  offered  to  all.  The  trouble 
is,  a  great  many  people  are  looking  at  the  pole.  Do  not  look 
at  the  pole ;  that  is  the  church.  You  iieed  not  look  at  the 
church;  the  church  is  all  right,  but  the  church  cannot  save 
you.  Look  beyond  the  pole.  Look  at  the  Crucified  One. 
Look  to  Calvary.  Bear  in  mind,  sinner,  that  Jesus  died  for 
all.  Y^'ou  need  not  look  at  ministers;  they  are  just  God's 
chosen  instruments  to  hold  up  the  Remedy,  to  hold  up  Christ* 


36  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

_ 

And  so,  my  friends,  take  your  eyes  off  from  men;  take  your 
eyes  off  from  the  church.  Lift  them  up  to  Jesus;  who  took 
away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and  there  will  be  life  for  you  from 
this  hour. 

Thank  God,  we  do  not  require  an  education  to  teach  us 
how  to  look.  That  little  girl,  that  little  boy,  only  four  years 
old,  who  cannot  read,  can  look.  "When  the  father  is  coming 
home,  the  mother  says  to  her  little  boy,  *'  Look!  look!  look!" 
and  the  little  child  learns  to  look  long  before  he  is  a  year  old. 
And  that  is  the  way  to  be  saved.  It  is  to  look  at  the  Lamb  of 
God  ''  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world;  "  and  there  is 
life  this  moment  for  every  one  who  is  willing  to  look. 

Some  men  say,  *'  I  wish  I  knew  how  to  be  saved."  Just 
take  God  at  His  word  and  trust  His  Son  this  very  day — this 
very  hour^-this  very  moment.  He  will  save  you,  if  you  will 
trust  Him.  I  imagine  I  hear  some  one  saying,  "  I  do  not  feel 
the  bite  as  much  as  I  wish  I  did.  I  know  I  am  a  sinner,  and 
all  that;  but  I  do  not  feel  the  bite  enough."  How  much  does 
God  want  you  to  feel  it? 

When  I  was  in  Belfast  I  knew  a  doctor  who  had  a  friend, 
a  leading  surgeon  there;  and  he  told  me  that  the  surgeon's 
custom  was,  before  performing  any  operation,  to  say  to  the 
patient,  '♦  Take  a  good  look  at  the  wound,  and  then  fix  your 
eyes  on  me;  and  do  not  take  them  off  till  I  get  through."  I 
thought  at  the  time  that  was  a  good  illustration.  Sinner, 
take  a  good  look  at  your  wound;  and  then  fix  your  eyes 
on  Christ,  and  do  not  take  them  off.  It  is  better  to  look  at 
the  Remedy  than  at  the  wound.  See  what  a  poor  wretched 
sinner  you  are;  and  then  look  at  the  Lamb  of  God  who 
"  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  He  died  for  the  ungodly 
and  the  sinner.  Say  "I  will  take  Him!"  And  may  God 
help  you  to  lift  your  eye  to  the  Man  on  Calvary.     And  as  the. 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  37 

Israelites  looked  upon  the  serpent  and  were  healed,  so  may 
you  look  and  live. 

After  the  battle  of  Pittsburgh  Landing  I  was  in  a  hospital 
at  Murfreesbro.'  In  the  middle  of  the  night  I  was  aroused  and 
told  that  a  man  in  one  of  the  wards  wanted  to  see  me.  I 
went  to  him  and  he  called  me  "chaplain" — I  was  not  the 
chaplain — and  said  he  wanted  me  to  help  him  die.  And  I 
said,  "  I  would  take  you  right  up  in  my  arms  and  carry  you 
into  the  kingdom  of  God  if  I  could;  but  I  cannot  do  it :  I 
cannot  help  you  die!"  And  he  said,  "Who  can?"  I  said, 
♦*  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  can — He  came  for  that  purpose." 
He  shook  his  head,  and  said,  *' He  cannot  save  me;  I  have 
sinned  all  my  life."  And  I  said,  **  But  He  came  to  save  sin- 
ners." I  thought  of  his  mother  in  the  north,  and  I  was  sure 
that  she  was  anxious  that  he  should  die  in  peace ;  so  I  re- 
solved I  would  stay  with  him.  I  prayed  two  or  three  times, 
and  repeated  all  the  promises  I  could ;  for  it  was  evident  that 
in  a  few  hours  he  would  be  gone.  I  said  I  wanted  to  read 
him  a  conversation  that  Christ  had  with  a  man  who  was  anx- 
ious about  his  soul.  I  turned  to  the  third  chapter  of  John. 
His  eyes  were  riveted  on  me;  and  when  I  came  to  the  14th 
and  15th  verses — the  passage  before  us — he  caught  up  the 
words,  ♦'  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness, 
even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up;  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life." 
He  stopped  me  and  said,  "Is  that  there?"  I  said  "Yes." 
He  asked  me  to  read  it  again ;  and  I  did  so.  He  leant  his 
elbows  on  the  cot  and  clasping  his  hands  together,  said, 
"  That's  good;  won't  you  read  it  again?"  I  read  it  the  third 
time ;  and  then  went  on  with  the  rest  of  the  chapter.  When  I 
had  finished,  his  eyes  were  closed,  his  hands  were  folded,  and 
there  was  a  smile  on  his  face.  Oh,  how  it  was  lit  up!  What 
a  change  had  come  over  it !     I  saw  his  lips  quivering,  and 


38  THE  WAY  TO  QOD. 


leaning  over  him  I  heard  in  a  faint  whisper,  "  As  Moses  Hfted 
up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of 
Man  be  lifted  up ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  He  opened  his  eyes  and  said, 
''That's  enough;  don't  read  any  more."  He  lingered  a  few 
hours,  pillowig  his  head  on  those  two  verses;  and  then  went 
up  in  one  of  Christ's  chariots,  to  take  his  seat  in  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

Christ  said  to  Nicodemus :  ♦*  Except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  You  may  see  many 
countries;  but  there  is  one  country — the  land  of  Beulah, 
which  John  Bunyan  saw  in  vision — you  shall  never  behold, 
unless  you  are  born  again — regenerated  by  Christ.  You  can 
look  abroad  and  see  many  beautiful  trees ;  but  the  tree  of  life, 
you  shall  never  behold,  unless  your  eyes  are  made  clear  by 
faith  in  the  Saviour.  You  may  see  the  beautiful  rivers  of  the 
earth — you  may  ride  upon  their  bosoms ;  but  bear  in  mind 
that  your  eye  will  never  rest  upon  the  river  which  bursts  out 
from  the  Throne  of  God  and  flows  through  the  upper  King- 
dom, unless  you  are  born  again.  God  has  said  it;  and  not 
man.  You  will  never  see  the  kingdom  of  God  except  you  are 
born  again.  You  may  see  the  kings  and  lords  of  the  earth; 
but  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords  you  will  never  see 
except  you  are  born  again.  When  you  are  in  London  you 
may  go  to  the  Tower  and  see  the  crown  of  England,  which  is 
worth  thousands  of  dollars,  and  is  guarded  there  by  soldiers; 
but  bear  in  mind  that  your  eye  will  never  rest  upon  the  crown 
of  life  except  you  are  born  again. 

You  may  hear  the  songs  of  Zion  which  are  sung  here ;  but 
one  song — that  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb — the  uncircumcised 
ear  shall  never  hear;  its  melody  will  only  gladden  the  ear  of 
those  who  kave  been  born  again.  You  may  look  upon  the 
beautiful  mansions  of   earth,  but   bear  in   mind  the  man- 


THE  GATEWAY  INTO  THE  KINGDOM.  39 

sions  which  Christ  has  gone  to  prepare  you  shall  never  see 
unless  you  are  born  again.  It  is  God  who  says  it.  You 
may  see  ten  thousand  beautiful  things  in  this  world ;  but 
the  city  that  Abraham  caught  a  glimpse  of — and  from  that 
time  became  a  pilgrim  and  sojourner — you  shall  never  see  un- 
less you  are  born  again  (Heb.  xi.  8,  10 — 16).  You  may  often 
be  invited  to  marriage  feasts  here;  but  you  will  never  attend 
the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  except  you  are  born  again. 
It  is  God  who  says  it,  dear  friend.  You  may  be  looking  on 
the  face  of  your  sainted  mother  to-night,  and  feel  that  she  is 
praying  for  you;  but  the  time  will  come  when  you  shall  never 
see  her  more  unless  you  are  born  again. 

The  reader  may  be  a  young  man  or  a  young  lady  who  has 
recently  stood  by  the  bedside  of  a  dying  mother;  and  she  may 
have  said,  "  Be  sure  and  meet  me  in  heaven,"  and  you  made 
the  promise.  Ah !  you  shall  never  see  her  more,  except  you 
are  born  again.  I  believe  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  sooner  than 
those  infidels  who  say  you  do  not  need  to  be  born  again. 
Parents,  if  you  hope  to  see  your  children  who  have  gone  be- 
fore, you  must  be  born  of  the  Spirit.  Possibly  you  are  a 
father  or  a  mother  who  has  recently  borne  a  loved  one  to  the 
grave ;  and  how  dark  your  home  seems !  Never  more  will  you 
see  your  child,  unless  you  are  born  again.  If  you  wish  to  be 
re-united  to  your  loved  one,  you  must  be  born  again.  I  may 
be  addressing  a  father  or  a  mother  who  has  a  loved  one  up 
yonder.  If  you  could  hear  that  loved  one's  voice,  it  would 
say,  "  Come  this  way."  Have  you  a  sainted  friend  up  yon- 
der? Young  man  or  young  lady,  have  you  not  a  mother  in 
the  world  of  light?  If  you  could  hear  her  speak,  would  not 
she  say,  "Come  this  way,  my  son," — "Come  this  way,  my 
daughter  ?"  If  you  would  ever  see  her  more  you  must  be 
born  again. 


40  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

We  all  have  an  Elder  Brother  there.  Nearly  nineteen 
hundred  years  ago  He  crossed  over,  and  from  the  heavenly 
shores  He  is  calling  you  to  heaven.  Let  us  turn  our  backs 
upon  the  world.  Let  us  give  a  deaf  ear  to  the  world.  Let 
us  look  to  Jesus  on  the  Cross  and  be  saved.  Then  we  shall 
one  day  see  the  King  in  His  beauty,  and  we  shall  go  no  more 
out. 


THE  TWO  CLASSES.  41 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  TWO  CLASSES. 

"  T-wo  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray."— Luke  xvii.  10. 

I  NOW  want  to  speak  of  two  classes :  First,  those  who  do 
not  feel  their  need  of  a  Saviour  who  have  not  been  convinced 
of  sin  by  the  Spirit;  and  Second,  those  who  are  convinced  of 
sin  and  cry,  ♦*  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?'- 

All  inquirers  can  be  ranged  under  two  heads :  they  have 
either  the  spirit  of  the  Pharisee,  or  the  spirit  of  the  publican. 
If  a  man  having  the  spirit  of  the  Pharisee  comes  into  an 
after-meeting,  I  know  of  no  better  portion  of  Scripture  to  meet 
his  case  than  Romans  iii.  10:  *'As  it  is  written,  There  is 
none  righteous,  no,  not  one :  there  is  none  that  understandeth ; 
there  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God."  Paul  is  here  speaking 
of  the  natural  man.  *•  They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way,  they 
are  together  become  unprofitable;  there  is  none  that  doeth 
good,  no,  not  one."  And  in  the  17th  verse  and  those  which 
follow,  we  have  "  And  the  w^ay  of  peace  have  they  not  known; 
there  is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.  Now  we  know  what 
things  soever  the  law  saith,  it  saith  to  them  who  are  under 
the  law ;  that  every  mouth  may  be  stopped,  and  all  the  world 
may  become  guilty  before  God." 

Then  observe  the  last  clause  of  verse  22  :  "  For  there  is 
no  difference;  for  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory 
of  God."  Not  part  of  the  human  family — but  all — "have 
sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God."  Another  verse 
which  has  been  very  much  used  to  convict  men  of  their  sin  is 


42  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


1  John  i.  8:     "If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us." 

I  remember  that  on  one  occasion  we  were  holding  meetings 
in  an  eastern  city  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants;  and  a  lady 
came  and  asked  us  to  pray  for  her  husband,  whom  she  pur- 
posed bringing  into  the  after  meeting.  I  have  traveled  a  good 
deal  and  met  many  pharisaical  men ;  but  this  man  was  so  clad 
in  self -righteousness  that  you  could  not  get  the  point  of  the 
needle  of  conviction  in  anywhere.  I  said  to  his  wife:  "I 
am  glad  to  see  your  faith;  but  we  cannot  get  near  him;  he  is 
the  most  self-righteous  man  I  ever  saw."  She  said:  "You 
must !  My  heart  will  break  if  these  meetings  end  without  his 
conversion."  She  persisted  in  bringing  him;  and  I  got  almost 
tired  of  the  sight  of  him. 

But  towards  the  close  of  our  meetings  of  thirty  days,  he 
came.up  to  me  and  put  his  trembling  hand  on  my  shoulder. 
The  place  in  which  the  meetings  were  held  was  rather  cold, 
and  there  was  an  adjoining  room  in  which  only  the  gas  had 
been  lighted;  and  he  said  to  me,  "  Can't  you  come  in  here  for 
a  few  minutes?"  I  thought  that  he  was  shaking  from  cold, 
and  I  did  not  particularly  wish  to  go  where  it  was  colder.  But 
he  said:  "  I  am  the  worst  man  in  the  State  of  Vermont.  I 
want  you  to  pray  for  me."  I  thought  he  had  committed  a 
murder,  or  some  other  awful  crime;  and  I  asked:  '*  Is  there 
any  one  sin  that  particularly  troubles  you?"  And  he  said: 
"My  whole  life  has  been  a  sin.  I  have  been  a  conceited,  self- 
righteous  Pharisee.  I  want  you  to  pray  for  me."  He  was 
under  deep  conviction.  Man  could  not  have  produced  this 
result;  but  the  Spirit  had.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
light  broke  in  upon  his  soul:  and  he  went  up  and  down  the 
business  street  of  the  city  and  told  what  God  had  done  for 
him ;  and  has  been  a  most  active  Christian  ever  since. 


THE  TWO  CLASSES.  43 

There  are  fpur  other  passages  in  deahng  with  inquirers, 
which  were  used  by  Christ  Himself.  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God."     (John  iii.  3.) 

In  Luke  xiii.  3,  we  read:  "Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all 
likewise  perish." 

In  Matthew  xviii.,  when  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  to 
know  who  was  to  be  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
we  are  told  that  He  took  a  little  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst 
and  said,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  be  converted, 
and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  the  kingdom 
of  heaven"  (xviii.  1-3). 

There  is  another  important  "Except"  in  Matthew  v.  20: 
"Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven." 

A  man  must  be  made  meet  before  he  will  want  to  go  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  I  would  rather  go  into  the  kingdom 
with  the  younger  brother  than  stay  outside  with  the  elder. 
Heaven  would  be  hell  to  such  an  one.  An  elder  brother  who 
could  not  rejoice  at  his  younger  brother's  return  would  not  be 
"fit"  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  a  solemn  thing  to  con- 
template; but  the  curtain  drops  and  leaves  him  outside,  and 
the  younger  brother  within.  To  him  the  language  of  the 
Saviour  under  other  circumstances  seems  appropriate  :  "-Ver- 
ily I  say  unto  you,  That  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  go  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  before  you"  (Matt.  xxi.  31). 

A  lady  once  came  to  me  and  wanted  a  favor  for  her  daugh- 
ter. She  said:  "  You  must  remember  I  do  not  sympathize 
with  you  in  your  doctrine."  I  asked:  "What  is  your 
trouble?"  She  said  :  "I  think  your  abuse  of  the  elder  brother 
is  horrible.  I  think  he  is  a  noble  character."  I  said  that  I 
was  willing  to  hear  her  defend  him ;  but  that  it  was  a  solemn 


44  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

thing  to  take  up  such  a  position ;  and  that  the  elder  brother 
needed  to  be  converted  as  much  as  the  younger.  When  peo- 
ple talk  of  being  moral  it  is  well  to  get  them  to  take  a  good 
look  at  the  old  man  pleading  with  his  boy  who  would  not 
go  in. 

But  we  will  pass  on  now  to  the  other  class  with  which  we 
have  to  deal.  It  is  composed  of  those  who  are  convinced  of 
sin  and  from  whom  the  cry  comes  as  from  the  Pl;iilippian 
jailer,  '<  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  To  those  who  utter 
this  penitential  cry  there  is  no  necessity  to  administer  the  law. 
It  is  well  to  bring  them  straight  to  the  Scripture:  ''Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  (Acts 
xvi.  31).  Many  will  meet  you  with  a  scowl  and  say,  "  I  don't 
know  what  it  is  to  believe ;  and  though  it  is  the  law  of  heaven 
that  they  must  believe,  in  order  to  be  saved — yet  they  ask  for 
something  besides  that.  We  are  to  tell  them  what,  and  where, 
and  how,  to  believe. 

In  John  iii.  35  and  36  we  read  :  "The  Father  loveth  the 
Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  His  hand.  He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life ;  and  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  him." 

Now  this  looks  reasonable.  Man  lost  life  by  unbehef — by 
not  believing  God's  word;  and  we  got  life  back  again  by  be- 
lieving— by  taking  God  at  His  word.  In  other  words  we  get 
up  where  Adam  fell  down.  He  stumbled  and  fell  over  the 
stone  of  unbelief;  and  we  are  lifted  up  and  stand  upright  by 
believing.  When  people  say  they  cannot  believe,  show  them 
chapter  and  verse,  and  hold  them  right  to  this  one  thing : 
"Has  God  ever  broken  His  promise  for  these  six  thousand 
years?"  The  devil  and  men  have  been  trying  all  the  time  and 
have  not  succeeded  in  showing  that  He  has  broken  a  single 
promise;  and  there  would  be  a  jubilee  in  hell  to-day  if  one  word 


THE  TWO  CLASSES.  45 

that  He  has  spoken  could  be  broken.  If  a  man  says  that  he 
cannot  believe  it  is  well  to  press  him  on  that  one  thing. 

I  can  believe  God  better  to-day  than  I  can  my  own  heart. 
"The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 
wicked  :  who  can  know  it?"  (Jer.  xvii.  9).  I  can  believe  God 
better  than  I  can  myself.  If  you  want  to  know  the  way 
of  Life,  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  personal  Saviour;  cut 
away  from  all  doctrines  and  creeds,  and  come  right  to 
the  heart  of  the  Son  of  God.  If  you  have  been  feeding  on 
dry  doctrine  there  is  not  much  growth  on  that  kind  of  food. 
Doctrines  are  to  the  soul  what  the  streets  which  lead  to  the 
house  of  a  friend  who  has  invited  me  to  dinner  are  to  the 
body.  They  will  lead  me  there  if  I  take  the  right  one ;  but  if 
I  remain  in  the  streets  my  hunger  will  never  be  satisfied. 
Feeding  on  doctrines  is  like  trying  to  live  on  dry  husks ;  and 
lean  indeed  must  the  soul  remain  which  partakes  not  of  the 
Bread  sent  down  from  heaven. 

Some  ask  :  *'  How  am  I  to  get  my  heart  warmed?"  It  is 
by  believing.  You  do  not  get  power  to  love  and  serve  God 
until  you  believe. 

The  apostle  John  says  :  "  If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men, 
the  witness  of  God  is  greater:  for  this  is  the  witness  of  God 
which  He  hath  testified  of  His  Son.  He  that  believeth  on  the 
Son  of  God  hath  the  witness  in  himself :  he  that  believeth 
not  God  hath  made  Him  a  liar;  because  he  believeth  not  the 
record  that  God  gave  of  His  Son.  And  this  is  the  record, 
that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  His 
Son.  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life ;  and  he  that  hath  not 
the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life  "  (1  John  v.  9). 

Human  affairs  would  come  to  a  standstill  if  we  did  not 
take  the  testimony  of  men.  How  should  we  get  on  in  the 
ordinary  intercourse  of  life,  and  how  would  commerce  get  on, 
if  we  disregarded  men's  testimony?    Things  social  and  com- 


46  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


in ercial  would  come  to  a  dead-lock  within  forty-eight  hours! 
This  is  the  drift  of  the  apostle's  argument  here.  **  If  we  re- 
ceive the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of  God  is  greater."  God 
has  borne  witness  to  Jesus  Christ.  And  if  man  can  believe 
his  fellow  men  who  are  frequently  telling  untruths  and  whom 
we  are  constantly  finding  unfaithful,  why  should  we  not  take 
God  at  His  word  and  believe  His  testimony? 

Faith  is  a  belief  in  testimony.  It  is  not  a  leap  in  the  dark, 
as  some  tell  us.  That  would  be  no  faith  at  all.  God  does 
not  ask  any  man  to  believe  without  giving  him  something  to 
believe.  You  might  as  well  ask  a  man  to  see  without  eyes ;  to 
hear  without  ears ;  and  to  walk  without  feet — as  to  bid  him 
believe  without  giving  him  something  to  believe. 

When  I  started  for  California  I  procured  a  guide-book. 
This  told  me,  that  after  leaving  the  State  of  Illinois,  I  should 
cross  the  Mississippi,  and  then  the  Missouri;  get  into  Ne- 
braska; then  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Mormon  set- 
tlement at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  by  the  way  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  into  San  Francisco.  I  found  the  guide  book  aU  right  as 
I  went  along ;  and  I  should  have  been  a  miserable  sceptic  if, 
having  proved  it  to  be  correct  three-fourths  of  the  way,  I  had 
said  that  I  would  not  believe  it  for  the  remainder  of  the 
journey. 

Suppose  a  man,  in  directing  me  to  the  Post  Office,  gives 
me  ten  landmarks;  and  that,  in  my  progress  there,  I  find  nine 
of  them  to  be  as  he  told  me ;  I  should  have  good  reason  to 
believe  that  I  was  coming  to  the  Post  Office. 

And  if,  by  believing,  I  get  a  new  life,  and  a  hope,  a  peace, 
a  joy,  and  a  rest  to  my  soul,  that  I  never  had  before;  if  I  get 
self-control,  and  find  that  I  have  a  power  to  resist  evil  and  to 
do  good,  I  have  pretty  good  proof  that  I  am  in  the  right  road 
to  the  "  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker 
is  God."     And  if  things  have  taken  place,  and  are  now  taking 


THE  TWO  CLASSES.  47 

place,  as  recorded  in  God's  Word,  I  have  good  reason  to  con- 
clude that  what  yet  remains  will  be  fulfilled.  And  yet  people 
talk  of  doubting.  There  can  be  no  true  faith  where  there  is 
fear.  Faith  is  to  take  God  at  His  word,  unconditionally. 
There  cannot  be  true  peace  where  there  is  fear.  **  Perfect 
love  casteth  out  fear."  How  wretched  a  wife  would  be  if  she 
doubted  her  husband!  and  how  miserable  a  mother  would  feel 
if  after  her  boy  had  gone  away  from  home  she  had  reason, 
from  his  neglect,  to  question  that  son's  devotion !  True  love 
never  has  a  doubt. 

There  are  three  things  indispensable  to  faith— knowledge, 
assent,  and  appropriation. 

We  must  know  God.  "  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom 
Thou  hast  sent"  (John  xvii.  3).  Then  we  must  not  only 
give  our  assent  to  what  we  know ;  but  we  must  lay  hold  of  the 
truth.  If  a  man  simply  give  his  assent  to  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion, it  will  not  save  him :  he.  must  accept  Christ  as  his 
Saviour.     He  must  receive  and  appropriate  Him. 

Some  say  they  cannot  tell  how  a  man's  life  can  be  affected 
by  his  belief.  But  let  some  one  cry  out  that  some  building  in 
which  we  happen  to  be  sitting,  is  on  fire;  and  see  how  soon 
we  should  act  on  our  belief  and  get  out.  We  are  all  the  time 
influenced  by  what  we  believe.  We  cannot  help  it.  And  let 
a  man  believe  the  record  that  God  has  given  of  Christ,  and  it 
will  very  quickly  affect  his  whole  life. 

Take  John  v.  24.  There  is  enough  truth  in  that  one  verse 
for  every  soul  to  rest  upon  for  salvation.  It  does  not  admit 
the  shadow  of  a  doubti  "  Verily,  verily" — which  means 
truly,  truly — "  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  My  word,  and 
believeth  on  Him  that  sent  Me,  hath — hath — everlasting  life, 
and  shall  net  come  into  condemnation;  but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  life." 


48  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

Now  if  a  person  really  hears  the  word  of  Jesus  and  beUeves 
with  the  heart  on  God  who  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of 
the  world,  and  lays  hold  of  and  appropriates  this  great  salva- 
tion, there  is  no  fear  of  judgment.  He  will  not  be  looking 
forward  with  dread  to  the  Great  White  Throne ;  for  we  read 
in  1  John  iv.  17:  '♦  Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect,  that  we 
may  have  boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment:  because  as  He  is, 
so  are  we  in  this  world." 

If  we  believe,  there  is  for  us  no  condemnation,  no  judg- 
ment. That  is  behind  us,  and  passed;  and  we  shall  have 
boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment. 

I  remember  reading  of  a  man  who  was  on  trial  for  his  life. 
He  had  friends  with  influence;  and  they  procured  a  pardon 
for  him  from  the  king  on  condition  that  he  was  to  go  through 
the  trial,  and  be  condemned.  He  went  into  court  with  the 
pardon  in  his  pocket.  The  feeling  ran  very  high  against  him, 
and  the  judge  said  that  the  court  was  shocked  that  he  was  so 
much  unconcerned.  But,  when  the  sentence  was  pronounced, 
he  pulled  out  the  pardon,  presented  it,  and  walked  out  a  free 
man.  He  has  been  pardoned;  and  so  have  we.  Then  let 
death  come,  we  have  nought  to  fear.  All  the  grave-diggers  in 
the  world  cannot  dig  a  grave  large  enough  and  deep  enough  to 
hold  eternal  life;  all  the  coffin-makers  in  the  world  cannot 
make  a  coffin  large  enough  and  tight  enough  to  hold  eternal 
life.  Death  has  had  his  hand  on  Christ  once,  but  never 
again. 

Jesus  said  :  *'  I  am  the  Resurrection,  and  the  Life:  he  that 
beheveth  in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live :  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  beheveth  in  Me  shall  never  die  "  (John 
xi.  25,  26).  And  in  the  Apocalypse  we  read  that  the  risen 
Saviour  said  to  John,  "I  am  He  that  liveth,  and  was  dead; 
and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore  "  (Rev  i.  18).  Death 
cannot  touch  Him  again, 


THE  TWO  CLASSES.  49 

We  get  life  by  believing.  In  fact  we  get  more  than  Adam 
lost;  for  the  redeemed  child  of  God  is  heir  to  a  richer  and 
more  glorious  inheritance  than  Adam  in  Paradise  could  ever 
have  conceived ;  yea,  and  that  inheritance  endures  forever — 
it  is  inalienable. 

I  would  much  rather  have  my  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God 
than  have  lived  in  Paradise ;  for  Adam  might  have  sinned  and 
fallen  after  being  there  ten  thousand  years.  But  the  believer 
IS  safer,  if  these  things  become  real  to  him.  Let  us  make 
ithem  a  fact,  and  not  a  fiction.  God  has  said  it;  and  that  is 
•enough.  Let  us  trust  Him  even  where  we  cannot  trace  Him. 
Xet  the  same  confidence  animate  us  that  was  in  little  Maggie 
.  as  related  in  the  following  simple  but  touching  incident  which 
.1  read  in  the  Bible  Treasury: — 

"I  had  been  absent  from  home  for  some  days,  and  was 
wondering,  as  I  again  draw  near  the  homestead,  if  my  little 
Maggie,  just  able  to  sit  alone,  would  remember  me.  To  test 
her  memory,  I  stationed  myself  where  I  could  see  her,  but 
could  not  be  seen  by  her,  and  called  her  name  in  the  familiar 
tone,  '  Maggie!'  She  dropped  her  playthings,  glanced  around 
the  room,  and  then  looked  down  upon  her  toys.  Again  I  re- 
peated her  name,  ♦  Maggie!'  when  she  once  more  surveyed  the 
room;  but,  not  seeing  her  father  s  fsice,  she  looked  very  sad, 
and  slowly  resumed  her  employment.  Once  more  I  called, 
'Maggie!'  when,  dropping  her  playthings,  and  bursting  into 
tears,  she  stretched  out  her  arms  in  the  direction  whence  the 
sound  proceeded,  knowing  that,  though  she  could  not  see  him, 
her  father  must  be  there,  for  she  knew  his  voice." 

Now,  we  have  power  to  see  and  to  hear,  and  we  have 
power  to  beheve.  It  is  all  folly  for  the  inquirers  to  take  the 
ground  that  they  cannot  believe.  They  can,  if  they  will.  But 
the  trouble  with  most  people  is  that  they  have  connected  feel- 
ing with  BELIEVING.     Now  Feeling  has  nothing  whatever  to  do 


50  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


with  Believing.  The  Bible  does  not  say — He  that  feeleth,  or 
he  that  feeleth  and  believe th,  hath  everlasting  life.  Nothing 
of  the  kind.  I  cannot  control  my  feelings.  If  I  could,  I 
should  never  feel  ill,  or  have  a  headache  or  toothache.  I 
I  should  be  well  all  the  while.  But  I  can  believe  God;  and  if 
we  get  our  feet  on  that  rock,  let  doubts  and  fears  come  and 
the  waves  surge  around  us,  the  anchor  will  hold. 

Some  people  are  all  the  time  looking  at  their  faith.  Faith 
is  the  hand  that  takes  the  blessing.  I  heard  this  illustration 
.  of  a  beggar.  Suppose  you  were  to  meet  a  man  in  the  street 
whom  you  had  known  for  years  as  being  accustomed  to  beg; 
and  you  offered  him  some  money,  and  he  were  to  say  to  you : 
"I  thank  you;  I  don't  want  your  money:  I  am  not  a  beggar." 
"How  is  that?"  "Last  night  a  man  put  a  thousand  dollars 
into  my  hands."  "He  did!  Hoav  did  you  know  it  w^as  good 
money?"  "I  took  it  to  the  bank  and  deposited  it  and  have 
got  a  bank  book."  "How  did  you  get  this  gift?"  "I  asked 
for  alms;  and  after  the  gentleman  talked  with  me  he  took  out 
a  thousand  dollars  in  money  and  put  it  in  my  hand."  "How 
do  you  know  that  he  put  it  in  the  right  hand?"  "What  do  I 
care  about  which  hand ;  so  that  I  have  got  the  money. "  Many 
people  are  always  thinking  whether  the  faith  by  which  they 
lay  hold  of  Christ  is  the  right  kind — but  what  is  far  more 
essential  is  to  see  that  we  have  the  right  kind  of  Christ. 

Faith  is  the  eye  of  the  soul ;  and  who  w^ould  ever  think  of 
taking  out  an  eye  to  see  if  it  were  the  right  kind  so  long  as 
the  sight  was  perfect?  It  is  not  my  taste,  but  it  is  what  I 
taste,  that  satisfies  my  appetite.  So,  dear  friends,  it  is  taking 
God  at  His  Word  that  is  the  means  of  our  salvation.  The 
truth  cannot  be  made  too  simple. 

There  is  a  man  living  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  has  a 
home  on  the  Hudson  River.  His  daughter  and  her  family 
went  to  spend  the  winter  with  him :  and  in  the  course  of  the 


THE  TWO  CLASSES..  51 

season  the  scarlet  fever  broke  out.  One  little  girl  was  put  in 
quarantine,  to  be  kept  separate  from  the  rest.  Every  morning 
the  old  grandfather  used  to  go  and  bid  his  grandchild,  "Good- 
bye," before  going  to  his  business.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
the  little  thing  took  the  old  man  by  the  hand,  and,  leading 
him  to  a  corner  of  the  room,  without  saying  a  word  she 
pointed  to  the  floor  where  she  had  arranged  some  small 
crackers  so  they  would  spell  out,  <* Grandpa,  I  want  a  box  of 
paints."  He  said  nothing..  On  his  return  home  he  hung  up 
his  overcoat  and  went  to  the  room  as  usual;  when  his  little 
grandchild,  without  looking  to  see  if  her  wish  had  been  com- 
plied with,  took  him  into  the  same  corner,  where  he  saw 
spelled  out  in  the  same  way,  "Grandpa,  I  thank  you  for  the 
box  of  paints."  The  old  man  would  not  have  missed  gratify- 
ing the  child  for  anything.     That  was  faith. 

Faith  is  taking  God  at  His  Word ;  and  those  people  who 
want  some  token  are  always  getting  into  trouble.  We  want  to 
come  to  this :  God  says  it — let  us  believe  it. 

But  some  say^  Faith  is  the  gift  of  God.  So  is  the  air;  but 
you  have  to  breathe  it.  So  is  bread ;  but  you  have  to  eat  it. 
So  is  water;  but  you  have  to  drink  it.  Some  are  wanting  a 
miraculous  kind  of  feeling.  That  is  not  faith.  "Faith 
Cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  Word  of  God"  (Rom. 
X.  17).  That  is  whence  faith  comes.  It  is  not  for  me  to  sit 
down  and  wait  for  faith  to  come  stealing  over  me  with  a 
strange  sensation ;  but  it  is  for  me  to  take  God  at  His  Word. 
And  you  cannot  believe,  unless  you  have  something  to  believe. 
So  take  the  Word  as  it  is  wTitten,  and  appropriate  it,  and  lay 
hold  of  it. 

In  John  vi.  47,  48  we  read:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
He  that  believeth  on  Me  hath  everlasting  life.  I  am  that 
Bread  of  life."  There  is  the  bread  right  at  hand.  Partake 
of  it.     I  might  have  thousands  of  loaves  within  my  home,  and 


62  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


as  many  hungry  men  in  waiting.  They  might  assent  to  the 
fact  that  the  bread  was  there ;  but  unless  they  each  took  a  loaf 
and  commenced  eating,  their  hunger  would  not  be  satisfied. 
So  Christ  is  the  Bread  of  heaven ;  and  as  the  body  feeds  on 
natural  food,  so  the  soul  must  feed  on  Christ. 

If  a  drowning  man  sees  a  rope  thrown  out  to  rescue  him 
he  must  lay  hold  of  it;  and  in  order  to  do  so  he  must  let  go 
everything  else.  If  a  man  is  sick  he  must  take  the  medicine 
— for  simply  looking  at  it  will  not  cure  him.  A  knowl- 
edge of  Christ  will  not  help  the  inquirer,  unless  he  believes  in 
Him,  and  takes  hold  of  Him,  as  his  only  hope.  The  bitten 
Israelites  might  have  believed  that  the  serpent  was  lifted  up ; 
but  unless  they  had  looked  they  would  not  have  lived  (Num. 
ixi.  6-9). 

I  believe  that  a  certain  line  of  steamers  will  convey  me 
across  the  ocean,  because  I  have  tried  it :  but  this  will  not 
help  another  man  who  may  want  to  go,  unless  he  acts  upon  my 
knowledge.  So  a  knowledge  of  Christ  does  not  help  us  unless 
we  act  upon  it.  That  is  what  it  is  to  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  It  is  to  act  on  what  we  believe.  As  a  man 
steps  on  board  a  steamer  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  so  we  must 
take  Christ  and  make  a  commitment  of  our  souls  to  Him; 
and  He  has  promised  to  keep  all  who  put  their  trust  in  Him. 
To  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  aimply  to  take  Him  at 
His  word. 


WORDS  OF  COUNSEL.  63 


CHAPTER  IV, 

WORDS  OF  COUNSEL. 

"  A  bruised  reed  shall  He  not  break."— Isaiah  xlii.  3  ;  Matt.  xii.  20. 

It  is  dangerous  for  those  who  are  seeking  salvation  to  lean 
upon  the  experience  of  other  people.  Many  are  waiting  for  a 
repetition  of  the  experience  of  their  grandfather  or  grand- 
mother. I  had  a  friend  who  was  converted  in  a  field ;  and  he 
thinks  the  whole  town  ought  to  go  down  into  that  meadow 
and  he  converted.  Another  was  converted  under  a  bridge; 
and  he  thinks  that  if  any  enquirer  were  to  go  there  he  would 
find  the  Lord.  The  best  thing  for  the  anxious  is  to  go  right 
to  the  Word  of  God.  If  there  are  any  persons  in  the  world  to 
whom  the  Word  ought  to  be  very  precious  it  is  those  who  are 
asking  how  to  be  saved. 

For  instance  a  man  may  say,  *'  I  have  no  strength."  Let 
him  turn  to  Romans  v.  6.  "For  when  we  were  yet  without 
strength,  in  due  time  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly."  It  is  be- 
cause we  have  no  strength  that  we  need  Christ.  He  has  come 
to  give  strength  to  the  weak. 

Another  may  say,  "I  cannot  see."  Christ  says,  "I  am  the 
Light  of  the  world"  (John  viii.  12).  He  came,  not  only  to 
give  light,  but  "to  open  the  blind  eyes"  (lea.  xlii.  7). 

Another  may  say,  "I  do  not  think  a  man  can  be  saved  all 
at  once."  A  person  holding  that  view  was  in  the  Enquiry- 
room  one  night;  and  I  drew  his  attention  to  Romans  vi.  23, 
"The  wages  of  sin  is  death;  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  How  long  does  it  take  to 
accept  a  gift?    There  must  be  a  moment  when  you  have  it 


54  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


not,  and  another  when  you  have  it — a  moment  when  it  is 
another's,  and  the  next  when  it  is  yours.  It  does  not  take  six 
months  to  get  eternal  hfe.  It  may  however  in  some  cases  he 
hke  the  mustard  seed,'  very  small  at  the  commencement. 
Some  people  are  converted  so  gradually  that,  like  the  morn- 
ing light,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  when  the  dawn  began ;  while, 
with  others,  it  is  like  the  flashing  of  a  meteor,  and  the  truth 
hursts  upon  them  suddenly. 

I  would  not  go  across  the  street  to  prove  when  I  was  con- 
verted ;  but  what  is  important  is  for  me  to  know  that  I  really 
have  been. 

It  may  be  that  a  child  has  been  so  carefully  trained  that  it 
is  impossible  to  tell  when  the  new  birth  began ;  but  there  must 
have  been  a  moment  when  the  change  took  place,  and  when  he 
became  a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature. 

Some  people  do  not  believe  in  sudden  conversion.  But  I 
will  challenge  any  one  to  show  a  conversion  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament that  was  not  instantaneous.  "As  Jesus  passed  by  He 
saw  Levi,  the  son  of  Alpheus,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of  custom, 
and  said  unto  him,  'Follow  Me' :  and  he  arose  and  followed 
Him"  (Matt.  ix.  9).  Nothing  could  be  more  sudden  than 
that. 

Zaccheus,  the  publican,  sought  to  see  Jesus;  and  because 
he  was  little  of  stature  he  climbed  up  a  tree.  When  Jesus 
came  to  the  place  He  looked  up  and  saw  him,  and  said, 
*«  Zaccheus,  make  haste,  and  come  down"  (Luke  xix.  5).  His 
conversion  must  have  taken  place  some'\;Y^ere  between  the 
branch  and  the  ground.  We  are  told  that  he  received  Jesus 
joyfully,  and  said,  "Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give 
to  the  poor;  and  if  I  have  taken  anything  from  any  man  by 
false  accusation,  I  restore  him  fourfold"  (Luke  xix.  8).  Very 
few  in  these  days  could  say  that  in  proof  of  their  conversion. 


WORDS  OF  COUNSEL.  55 

The  whole  house  of  Cornelius  was  converted  suddenly;  for 
as  Peter  preached  Christ  to  him  and  his  company  the  Holy 
Ghost  fell  on  them,  and  they  were  baptized.     (Acts  x.) 

On  the  day  of  Pentecost  three  thousand  gladly  received  the 
Word.  They  were  not  only  converted,  but  they  were  baptized 
the  same  day.     (Acts  ii.) 

And  when  Philip  talked  to  the  eunuch,  as  they  went  on 
their  way,  the  eunuch  said  to  Philip,  "See,  here  is  water: 
what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized?"  Nothing  hindered. 
And  Philip  said,  "If  thou  believest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou 
mayest. "  And  they  both  went  down  into  the  water ;  and  the 
man  of  great  authority  under  Candace,  the  queen  of  the  Ethi- 
opians, was  baptized,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  (Acts 
viii.  2(y — 38.)  You  will  find  all  through  Scripture  that  con- 
versions were  sudden  and  instantaneous. 

A  man  has  been  in  the  habit  of  stealing  money  from  his 
employer.  Suppose  he  has  t-aken  $1,000  in  twelve  months; 
should  we  tell  him  to  take  $500  the  next  yeav,  and  less  the 
next  year,  and  the  next,  until  in  five  years  the  sum  taken 
would  be  only  §50?  That  would  be  upon  the  same  principle 
as  gradual  conversion. 

If  such  a  person  were  brought  before  the  court  and  par- 
doned, because  he  could  not  change  his  mode  of  life  all  at 
once,  it  would  be  considered  a  very  st-range  proceeding. 

But  the  Bible  says,  "  Let  him  that  stole  steal  no  more  " 
(Eph.  iv.  28).  It  is  "right  about  face!"  Suppose  a  person 
is  in  the  habit  of  cursing  one  hundred  times  a  day :  should 
we  advise  him  not  to  utter  more  than  ninety  oaths  the  following 
day,  and  eighty  the  next  day;  so  that  in  the  course  of  time  he 
would  get  rid  of  the  habit?  The  Saviour  says,  **  Swear  not 
at  all."     (Matt.  V.  34.) 

Suppose  another  man  is  in  the  habit  of  getting  drunk  and 
beating  his  wife  twice  a  month;  if  he  only  did   so  once  a 


56  THE  WAY  TO  OOD. 


month,  and  then  only  once  in  six  months,  that  would  be,  upon 
the  same  ground,  as  reasonable  as  gradual  conversion.  Sup- 
pose Ananias  had  been  sent  to  Paul,  when  he  was  on  his  way 
to  Damascus  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against 
the  disciples,  and  casting  them  into  prison,  to  tell  him  not  to 
kill  so  many  as  he  intended;  and  to  let  enmity  die  out  of  his 
heart  gradually,  but  not  all  at  once.  Suppose  he  had  been 
told  that  it  would  not  do  to  stop  breathing  out  threatenings 
and  slaughter,  and  to  commence  preaching  Christ  all  at  once, 
because  the  philosophers  would  say  that  the  change  was  so 
sudden  it  would  not  hold  out;  this  would  be  the  same  kind  of 
reasoning  as  is  used  by  those  who  do  not  believe  in  instanta- 
neous conversion. 

Then  another  class  say  that  they  are  afraid  that  they  will 
not  hold  out.  This  is  a  numerous  and  very  hopeful  class.  I 
like  to  see  a  man  distrust  himself.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  get 
such  to  look  to  God,  and  to  remember  that  it  is  not  he  who 
holds  God,  but  that  it  is  God  who  holds  him.  Some  want  to 
get  hold  of  Christ ;  but  the  thing  is  to  get  Christ  to  take  hold 
of  you  in  answer  to  prayer.  Let  such  read  Psalm  cxxi. ;  "I 
will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my 
help.  My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord,  which  made  heaven 
and  earth.  He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot  to  be  moved  :  He  that 
keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber.  Behold,  He  that  keepeth  Israel 
shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper; 
the  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand.  The  sun  shall 
not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night.  The  Lord 
sliall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil :  He  shall  preserve  thy  soul. 
The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in,  from 
this  time  forth,  and  even  for  evermore." 

Some  one  calls  that  the  traveler's  psalm.  It  is  a  beautiful 
psalm  for  those  of  us  who  are  pilgrims  through  this  world; 
and  one  with  which  we  should  be  well  acquainted. 


WORDS  OF  COUNSEL.  57 

God  can  do  what  He  has  done  before.  He  kept  Joseph  in 
Egypt;  Moses  before  Pharaoh;  Daniel  in  Babylon;  and  en- 
abled Elijah  to  stand  before  Ahab  in  that  dark  day.  And  I 
am  so  thankful  that  these  I  have  mentioned  were  men  of  like 
passions  with  ourselves.  It  was  God  who  made  them  so 
great.  What  man  wants  is  to  look  to  God.  Eeal  true  faith 
is  man's  weakness  leaning  on  God's  strength.  When  man  has 
no  strength,  if  he  leans  on  God  he  becomes  powerful.  The 
trouble  is  that  we  have  too  much  strength  and  confidence  in 
ourselves. 

Again  in  Hebrews  vi.  17,  18  :  "  Wherein  God,  willing  more 
abundantly  to  show  unto  the  heirs  of  promise  the  immuta- 
bility of  His  counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath  that  by  two  im- 
mutable things,  in  which  it  was  impossible  for  God  to  lie,  we 
might  have  a  strong  consolation,  w4io  have  fled  for  refuge  to 
lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  us  :  which  hope  we  have  as 
an  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast,  and  which 
entereth  into  that  within  the  vail ;  whither  the  Forerunner  is 
for  us  entered,  even  Jesus,  made  an  high  priest  for  ever  after 
the  order  of  Melchisedec." 

Now  these  are  precious  verses  to  those  who  are  afraid  of 
falling,  who  fear  that  they  will  not  hold  out.  It  is  God's  work 
to  hold.  It  is  the  Shepherd's  business  to  keep  the  sheep. 
Who  ever  heard  of  the  sheep  going  to  bring  back  the  shep- 
herd? People  have  an  idea  that  they  have  to  keep  themselves 
and  Christ  too.  It  is  a  false  idea.  It  is  the  work  of  the 
Shepherd  to  look  after  them,  and  to  take  care  of  those  who 
trust  Him.  And  He  has  promised  to  do  it.  I  once  heard 
that  when  a  sea  captain  was  dying  he  said,  **  Glory  to 
God;  the  anchor  holds."  He  trusted  in  Christ.  His  anchor 
had  taken  hold  of  the  solid  rock.  An  Irishman  said,  on  one 
occasion,  that  "he  trembled;  but  the  Rock  never  did."  We 
want  to  get  sure  footing. 


58  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


In  2  Timothy. i.  12  Paul  says  :  *'  I  know  whom  I  have 
beheved,  and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which 
I  have  committed  unto  Him  against  that  day."  That  was 
Paul's  persuasion. 

During  the  late  war  of  the  rebellion,  one  of  the  chaplains, 
going  through  the  hospitals,  came  to  a  man  who  was  dying. 
Finding  that  he  was  a  Christian,  he  asked  to  what  persuasion 
he  belonged,  and  was  told  ♦'  Paul's  persuasion."  "  Is  he  a 
Methodist?"  he  asked;  for  the  Methodists  all  claim  Paul. 
''No."  ''Is  he' a  Presbyterian?"  for  the  Presbyterians  lay 
special  claim  to  Paul.  "No,"  was  the  answer.  *'Does  he 
belong  to  the  Episcopal  Church?"  for  all  the  Episcopalian 
brethren  contend  that  they  have  a  claim  to  the  Chief  Apostle. 
"  No,"  he  was  not  an  Episcopalian.  "  Then,  to  what  per- 
suasion' does  he  belong?"  "  I  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able 
to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Him  against  that 
day."  It  is  a  grand  persuasion;  and  it  gave  the  dying  soldier 
rest  in  a  dying  hour. 

Let  those  who  fear  that  they  will  not  hold  out  turn  to  the 
24th  verse  of  the  Epistle  of  Jude:  "Now  unto  Him  that  is 
able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  present  you  faultless  be- 
fore the  presence  of  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy." 

Then  look  at  Isaiah  xU.  10:  "Fear  thou  not;  for  I  am 
with  thee :  be  not  dismayed ;  for  I  am  thy  God :  I  will 
strengtlien  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee 
with  the  right  hand  of  My  righteousness." 

Then  see  verse  13  :  "  For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  will  hold 
thy  right  hand,  saying  unto  thee.  Fear  not;  I  will  help  thee." 

Now  if  God 'has  got  hold  of  my  right  hand  in  His,  cannot 
He  hold  me  and  keep  me?  Has  not  God  the  power  to  keep? 
The  great  God  who  made  heaven  and  earth  can  keep  a  poor 
sinner  hke  you  and  like  me  if  we  trust  Him.  To  refrain  from 
feeling  confidence  in  God  for  fear  of  falhng — would  be  like  a 


WORDS  OF  COUNSEL.  59 

man  who  revised  a  pardon,  for  fear  that  he  should  get  into 
prison  again ;  or  a  drowning  man  who  refused  to  be  rescued, 
for  fear  of  falHng  into  the  water  again. 

Many  men  look  forth  at  the  Christian  life,  and  fear  that 
they  will  not  have  sufificient  strength  to  hold  out  to  the  end. 
They  forget  the  promise  that  "as  thy  days,  thy  strength"  (Deut. 
xxxiii.  25).  It  reminds  me  of  the  pendulum  to  the  clock  which 
grew  disheartened  at  the  thought  of  having  to  travel  so  inany 
thousands  of  miles ;  but  when  it  reflected  that  the  distance 
was  to  be  accomplished  by  "tick,  tick,  tick,"  it  took  fresh 
courage  to  go  its  daily  journey.  So  it  is  the  special  privilege 
of  the  Christian  to  commit  himself  to  the  keeping  of  his 
heavenly  Father- and  to  trust  Him  day  by  day.  It  is  a  com- 
forting thing  to  know  that  the  Lord  will  not  begin  the  good 
work  without  also  finishing  it. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  sceptics — one  class  with  honest 
difficulties;  and  another  class  who  delight  only  in  discus- 
sion. I  used  to  think  that  this  latter  class  would  always  be  a 
thorn  in  my  flesh ;  but  they  do  not  prick  me  now.  I  expect 
to  find  them  right  along  the  journey.  Men  of  this  stamp  used 
to  hang  around  Christ  to  entangle  Him  in  His  talk.  They 
come  into  our  meetings  to  hold  a  discussion.  To  all  such  I 
would  commend  Paul's  advice  to  Timothy:  "But  foolish  and 
unlearned  questions  avoid;  knowing  that  they  do  gender 
strifes."  (2  Tim.  ii.  23.)  Unlearned  questions!  Many 
young  converts  make  a  woful  mistake.  They  think  they  are 
to  defend  the  whole  Bible.  I  knew  very  little  of  ^the  Bible 
wheji  I  was  first  converted ;  and  I  thought  that  I  had  to  defend 
it  from  beginning  to  end  against  all  comers ;  but  a  Boston  in- 
fidel got  hold  of  me,  floored  all  my  arguments  at  once,  and 
discouraged  me.  But  I  have  got  over  that  now.  There  are 
many  things  in  the  Word  of  God  that  I  do  not  profess  to 
understand. 


60  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


When  I  am  asked  what  I  do  with  them.  I  say,  "I  don't 
do  anything." 

"How  do  you  explain  them?"     "I  don't  explain  them." 

"What  do  you  do  with  them?"     "Why,  I  believe  them." 

And  when  I  am  told,  "I  would  not  believe  anything  that  I 
do  not  understand,"  I  simply  reply  that  I  do. 

There  are  many  things  which  were  dark  and  mysterious 
five  years  ago,  on  which  I  have  since  had  a  flood  of  light;  and 
I  expect  to  be  finding  out  something  fresh  about  God  through- 
out eternity.  I  make  a  point  of  not  discussing  disputed  pass- 
ages of  Scripture.  An  old  divine  has  said  that  some  people, 
if  they  want  to  eat  fish,  commence  by  picking  the  bones.  I 
leave  such  things  till  I  have  light  on  them.  I  am  not  bound 
to  explain  what  I  do  not  comprehend.  "The  secret  things 
belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God :  but  those  things  which  are 
revealed  belong  unto  us,  and  to  our  children,  for  ever"  (Deut. 
xxix.  29) ;  and  these  I  take,  and  eat,  and  feed  upon,  in  order 
to  get  spiritual  strength. 

Then  there  is  a  little  sound  advice  in  Titus  iii.  9.  "But 
avoid  foolish  questions,  and  genealogies,  and  contentions,  and 
strivings  about  the  law;  for  they  are  unprofitable  and  vain." 

But  now  here  comes  an  honest  sceptic.  With  him  I  would 
deal  as  tenderly  as  a  mother  with  her  sick  child.  I  have  no 
sympathy  with  those  people  who,  because  a  man  is  sceptical, 
cast  him  off  and  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  him. 

I  was  in  an  Inquiry-meeting,  some  time  ago,  and  I  handed 
over  to  a  Christian  lady,  whom  I  had  known  some  time,  one 
who  was  sceptical.  On  looking  round  soon  after  I  noticed  the 
enquirer  marching  out  of  the  hall.  I  asked,  "Why  have  you 
let  her  go?"  "Oh,  she  is  a  sceptic!"  was  the  reply.  I  ran  to 
the  door  and  got  her  to  stop,  and  introduced  her  to  another 
Christian  worker  who  spent  over  an  hour  in  conversation  and 
prayer  with  her.     He  visited  her  and  her  husband ;  and,  in 


WORDS  OF  COUNSEL,  61 

the  course  of  a  week,  that  intelhgent  lady  cast  off  her  scepti- 
cism and  came  out  an  active  Christian.  It  took  time,  tact, 
and  prayer;  but  if  a  person  of  this  class  is  honest  we  ought  to 
deal  with  such  an  one  as  the  Master  would  have  us. 

Here  are  a  few  passages  for  doubting  enquirers : 

"If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doc- 
trine, whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself" 
(John  vii.  17).  If  a  man  is  not  willing  to  do  the  will  of  God 
he  will  not  know  the  doctrine.  There  is  no  class  of  sceptics 
who  are  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  God  desires  them  to  give  up 
sin ;  'and  if  a  man  is  willing  to  turn  from  sin  and  take  the 
light  and  thank  Him  for  what  He  does  give,  and  not  expect  to 
have  light  on  the  whole  Bible  all  at  once,  he  will  get  more 
light  day  by  day;  make  progress  step  by  step;  and  be  led 
right  out  of  darkness  into  the  clear  light  of  heaven. 

In  Daniel. xii.  10  we  are  told:  "Many  shall  be  purified, 
and  made  white,  and  tried:  but  the  wicked  shall  do  wickedly; 
and  none  of  the  wicked  shall  understand;  but  the  wise  shall 
understand." 

Now  God  will  never  reveal  His  secrets  to  His  enemies. 
Never!  And  if  a  man  persists  in  living  in  sin  he  will  not 
know  the  doctrines  of  God. 

"The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him;  and 
He  will  show  them  His  covenant  "  (Ps.  xxv.,14). 

And  in  John  xv.  15  we  read:  "Henceforth  I  call  you  not 
servants;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  Lord  doeth  : 
but  I  have  called  you  friends ;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard 
of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you."  When  you  be- 
come friends  of  Christ  you  will  know  His  secrets.  The  Lord 
said,  "Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  the  things  which  I  do?" 
(Gen.  xviii.  17). 

Now  those  who  resemble  God  are  the  most  Hkely  to  under- 
stand God.     If  a  man  is  not  wilHng  to  turn  from  sin  he  will 


62  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


not  know  God's  will,  nor  will  God  reveal  His  secrets  to  him. 
But  if  a  man  is  willing,  to  turn  from  sin  he  will  be  surprised 
to  see  how  the  light  will  come  in ! 

I  remember  one  night  when  the  Bible  was  the  driest 
and  darkest  book  in  the  universe  to  me.  The  next  day  it 
became  entirely  different.  I  thought  I  had  the  key  to  it.  I 
had  been  born  of  the  Spirit.  But  before  I  knew  anything  of 
the  mind  of  God  I  had  to  give  up  my  sin.  I  believe  God 
meets  every  soul  on  the  spot  of  self  surrender ;  and  when  they 
are  willing  to  let  Him  guide  and  lead.  The  trouble  with 
many  sceptics  is  their  self-conceit.  They  know  more  than  the 
Almighty!  and  they  do  not  come  in  a  teachable  spirit.  But 
the  moment  a  man  comes  in  a  receptive  spirit  he  is  blessed; 
for  "If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth 
to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be 
given  him  "  (James  i.  5). 


A  DIVINE  SAVIOUR.  63 


CHAPTER   V. 
A  DIVINE  SAVIOUR. 

"  Thou  art  thk  Chkist,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 
(Matthew  xvi.  1.    John  vi.  69.) 

We  meet  with  a  certain  class  of  Enquirers  who  do  not  be- 
Heve  in  the  Divinity  of  Christ.  There  are  many  passages  that 
will  give  light  on  this  subject. 

In  1  Corinthians  xv.  47,  we  are  told:  "The  first  man  is 
of  the  earth  earthy:  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven." 

In  1  John  V.  20 :  "We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come^ 
and  hath  given  us  an  understanding,  that  we  may  know  Him 
that  is  true  ;  and  we  are  in  Him  that  is  true,  even  in  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ.     This  is  the  true  God,  and  eternal  life." 

Again  in  John  xvii.  3:  "And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God;  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
Thou  hast  sent." 

And  then,  in  Mark  xiv.  60:  "The  high  priest  stood  up  in 
the  midst,  and  asked  Jesus,  saying,  Answerest  Thou  nothing? 
What  is  it  which  these  witness  against  thee?  But  He  held 
His  peace,  and  answered  nothing.  Again  the  high  priest 
asked  Him,  and  said  unto  Him,  Art  Thou  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  Blessed?  And  Jesus  said,  I  am  :  and  ye  shall  see  the 
Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven.  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes, 
and  saith.  What  need  we  any  further  witnesses?  Ye  have 
heard  the  blasphemy:  what  think  ye?  And  they  aU  con- 
demned Him  to  be  guilty  of  death," 


64  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


Now  what  brought  me  to  beheve  in  the  Divinity  of  Christ 
was  this :  I  did  not  know  where  to  place  Christ,  or  what  to 
do  with  Him,  if  He  were  not  divine.  When  I  was  a  boy  I 
thought  that  He  was  a  good  man  hke  Moses,  Joseph,  or  Abra- 
ham. I  even  thought  that  He  was  the  best  man  who  had  ever 
lived  on  the  earth.  But  I  found  that  Christ  had  a  higher 
tclaim.  He  claimed  to  be  God-Man,  to  be  divine;  to  have 
(Come  from  heaven.  He  said  :  "Before  Abraham  was  I  am  " 
((John  viii.  58).  I  could  not  understand  this;  and  I  was 
'driven  to  the  conclusion— and  I  challenge  any  candid  man  to 
deny  the  inference,  or  meet  the  argument — that  Jesus  Christ 
is  either  an  impostor  or  deceiver,  or  He  is  the  God-Man — God 
ananifest  in  the  flesh.  And  for  these  reasons.  The  first  com- 
mandment is,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  Me  " 
((Exod.  XX.  2).  Look  at  the  miUions  throughout  Christendom 
who  worship  Jesus  Christ  as  God.  If  Christ  be  not  God  this 
is  idolatry.  We  are  all  guilty  of  breaking  the  first  command- 
:ment  if  Jesus  Christ  were  mere  man — if  He  were  a  created 
ibeing,  and  not  what  He  claims  to  be. 

Some  people,  who  do  not  admit  His  divinity,  say  that  He 
was  the  best  man  who  ever  lived;  but  if  He  were  nob  Divine, 
for  that  very  reason  He  ought  not  to  be  reckoned  a  good  man,  for 
He  laid  claim  to  an  honor  and  dignity  to  which  these  very 
people  declare  He  had  no  right  or  title.  That  would  rank  Him 
as  a  deceiver. 

Others  say  that  He  thought  He  was  divine,  but  that  He 
was  deceived.  As  if  Jesus  Christ  were  carried  away  by  a  de- 
lupion  and  deception,  and  thought  that  He  was  more  than  He 
was !  I  could  not  conceive  of  a  lower  idea  of  Jesus  Christ  than 
that.  This  would  not  only  make  Him  out  an  impostor;  but 
that  He  was  out  of  His  mind,  and  that  He  did  not  know  who 
He  was,  or  where  He  came  from.     Now  if  Jesus  Christ  was 


A  DIVINE  SAVIOUR.  65 

not  what  He  claimed  to  be,  the  Saviour  of  the  world;  and  if 
He  did  not  come  from  heaven,  He  was  a  gross  deceiver. 

But  how  can  any  one  read  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
make  Him  out  a  deceiver?  A  man  has  generally  some  motive 
for  being  an  impostor.  What  was  Christ's  motive?  He  knew 
that  the  course  He  was  pursuing  would  conduct  Him  to  the 
cross;  that  His  name  would  be  cast  out  as  vile;  and  that 
many  of  His  followers  would  be  called  upon  to  lay  down  their 
lives  for  His  sake.  Nearly  every  one  of  the  apostles  were 
martyrs ;  and  they  were  considered  as  off-scouring  and  refuse 
in  the  midst  of  the  jjeople.  If  a  man  is  an  impostor,  he  has  a 
motive  at  the  back  of  his  hypocrisy.  But  what  was  Christ's 
object?  The  record  is  that  "He  went  about  doing  good." 
This  is  not  the  work  of  an  impostor.  Do  not  let  the  enemy  of 
your  soul  deceive  you. 

In  John  V.  21  we  read  :  "For  as  the  Father  raiseth  up  the 
dead,  and  quickeneth  them;  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom 
He  will.  For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  commit- 
ted all  judgment  unto  the  Son :  that  all  men  should  honor 
the  Son,  even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  He  that  honoureth 
not  the  Son,  honoureth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent 
Him."  , 

Now,  notice :  by  the  Jewish  law  if  a  man  were  a  blas- 
phemer he  was  to  be  put  to  death ;  and  supposing  Christ  to  be 
merely  human  if  this  be  not  blasphemy  I  do  not  know  where 
you  will  find  it.  ''  He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son, .honoureth 
not  the  Father."  That  is  downright  blasphemy  if  Christ  be 
not  divine.  If  Moses,  or  Elijah,  or  Elisha,  or  any  other 
mortal  had  said,  "  You  must  honour  me  as  you  honour  God;" 
and  had  put  himself  on  a  level  with  God,  it  would  have  been 
downright  blasphemy. 

The  Jews  put  Christ  to  death  because  they  said  that  He 
was  not  what  He  claimed  to  be.     It  was  on  that  testimony  He 


66  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

was  put  under  oath.  The  high  priest  said  :  ''  I  adjure  Thee 
by  the  hving  God,  that  Thou  tell  us  whether  Thou  be  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God"  (Matt.  xxvi.  63).  And  when  the 
Jews  came  round  Him  and  said,  *'  How  long  dost  Thou  make 
us  to  doubt?  If  Thou  be  the  Christ  tell  us  plainly."  Jesus 
said,  '♦!  and  My  Father  are  one."  Then  the  Jews  took  up 
stones  again  to  stone  Him.  (John  x.  24—33.)  They  said 
they  did  not  want  to  hear  more,  for  that  was  blasphemy.  It 
was  for  declaring  Himself  to  be  the  Son  of  God  that  He  was 
condemned  and  put  to  death.     (Matt.  xxvi.  63 — QQ). 

Now  if  Jesus  Christ  were  mere  man  the  Jews  did  right, 
according  to  their  law,  in  putting  Him  to  death.  In  Leviticus 
xxiv.  16,  we  read:  ''And  he  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  he  shall  surely  be  put  to  death,  and  all  the  congre- 
gation shall  certainly  stone  him :  as  well  the  stranger,  as  he 
that  is  born  in  the  land,  when  he  blasphemeth  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  shall  be  put  to  death." 

This  law  obhged  them  to  put  to  death  every  one  who  blas- 
phemed. It  was  making  the  statement  that  He  was  divine 
that  cost  Him  His  life ;  and  by  the  Mosaic  law  He  ought  to 
have  suffered  the  death  penalty.  In  John  xvi.  15,  Christ  says, 
''  All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  Mine  :  therefore  said  I, 
that  He  shall  take  of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you."  How 
could  He  be  merely  a  good  man  and  use  language  as  that? 

No  doubt  has  ever  entered  my  mind  on  the  point  since  I 
was  converted. 

A  notorious  sinner  was  once  asked  how  he  could  prove  the 
divinity  of  Christ.  His  answer  was,  "Why,  He  has  saved  me; 
and  that  is  a  pretty  good  proof,  is  it  not?" 

An  infidel  on  one  occasion  said  to  me,  "  I  have  been  study- 
ing the  hfe  of  John  the  Baptist,  Mr.  Moody.  Why  don't  you 
preach  him?  He  was  a  greater  character  than  Christ.  You 
would  do  a  greater  work."     I  said  to  him,  "My  friend,  you 


A  DIVINE  SAVIOUR.  67 

preach  John  the  Baptist;  and  I  will  follow  you  and  preach 
Christ:  and  we  will  see  who  will  do  the  most  good."  "You 
will  do  the  most  good,"  he  said,  "because  the  people  are  so 
superstitious."  Ah!  John  was  beheaded;  and  his  disciples 
begged  his  body  and  buried  it :  but  Christ  has  risen  from  the 
dead;  He  has  "ascended  on  high;  He  has  led  captivity  cap- 
tive; and  received  gifts  for  men."     Ps.  Ixviii.  18.) 

Our  Christ  lives.  Many  people  have  not  found  out  that 
Christ  has  risen  from  the  grave.  They  worship  a  dead 
Saviour,  like  Mary,  who  said,  "They  have  taken  away  my 
Lord;  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him."  (John 
XX.  13.)  That  is  the  trouble  with  those  who  doubt  the  divinity 
of  our  Lord. 

Then  look  at  Matthew  xviii.  20.  "Where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of 
them."  "There  am  L"  Well  now,  if  He  is  a  mere  man,  how 
can  He  be  there?     All  these  are  strong  passages. 

Again  in  Matthew  xxviii.  18.  "And  Jesus  came  and  spake 
unto  them,  saying,  "  All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and 
in  earth."  Could  He  be  a  mere  man  and  talk  in  that  way? 
"All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth!" 

Then  again  in  Matthew  xxviii.  20.  "  Teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you;  and,  lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  If 
He  were  mere  man,  how  could  He  be  with  us?  Yet  He  says, 
*♦  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world!" 

Then  again  in  Mark  ii.  7.  ''Why  doth  this  Man  thus 
speak  blasphemies?  who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  only?  And 
immediately  when  Jesus  perceived  in  His  Spirit  that  they  rea- 
soned wdthin  themselves,  He  said  unto  them.  Why  reason  ye 
these  things  in  your  hearts?  Whether  is  it  easier  to  say 
to  the  sick  of  the  palsy.  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,  or  to 
say.  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  bed  and  walk?" 


68  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


Some  men  will  meet  yon  and  say,  '*  Did  not  Elisha  also 
raise  the  dead?"  Notice  that  in  the  rare  instances  in  which 
men  have  raised  the  dead,  they  did  it  by  the  power  of  God. 
They  called  on  God  to  do  it.  But  when  Christ  was  on  earth 
He  did  not  call  lipon  the  Father  to  bring  the  dead  to  life, 
When  He  went  to  the  house  of  Jairus  He  said,  "Damsel,  / 
say  unto  thee,  Arise."     (Mark  v.  41.) 

He  had  power  to  impart  life.  "When  they  were  carrying 
the  young  man  out  of  Nain  He  had  compassion  on  the  wid- 
owed mother  and  came  and  touched  the  bier  and  said,  "Young 
man,  /  say  unto  thee.  Arise."     (Luke  vii.  14.) 

He  spake;  and  the  dead  arose. 

And  when  He  raised  Lazarus  He  called  with  a  loud  voice, 
'*  Lazarus,  come  forth!"  (John  xi.  43.)  And  Lazarus  heard, 
and  came  forth. 

Some  one  has  said,  It  was  a  good  thing  that  Lazarus  was 
mentioned  by  name,  or  all  the  dead  within  the  sound  of 
Christ's  voice  would  immediately  have  risen. 

In  John  V.  25,  Jesus  says :  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live." 
What  blasphemy  would  this  have  been,  had  He  not  been 
divine !  The  proof  is  overwhelming,  if  you  will  but  examine 
the  Word  of  God. 

And  then  another  thing — no  good  man  except  Jesus  Christ 
has  ever  -allowed  anybody  to  worship  him.  When  this  was 
done  He  never  rebuked  the  worshiper.  In  John  ix.  38,  we 
read  that  when  the  blind  man  was  found  by  Christ  he  said, 
"Lord,  I  beheve.  And  he  worshiped  Him."  The  Lord  did 
not  rebuke  him. 

Then  again.  Revelation  xxii.  6,  runs  thus:  "  And  he  said 
unto  me,  These  things  are  faithful  and  true ;  and  the  Lord 
God  of  the  holy  prophets  sent  His  angel  to  show  unto  Hi^ 


A  DIVINE  SAVIOUR.  69 

servants  the  things  which  must  shortly  be  done.  Behold,  I 
come  quickly:  blessed  is  he  that  keepeth  the  sayings  of  the 
prophecy  of  this  book.  And  I  John  saw  these  things  and 
heard  them.  And  when  I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to 
worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed  me  these 
things.  Then  saith  He  unto  me.  See  thou  do  it  not;  for  I  am 
thy  fellow- servant  and  of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of 
them  which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book:  worship  God.'' 

We  see  here  that  even  that  angel  would  not  allow  John  to 
worship  him.  Even  an  angel  from  heaven !  And  if  Gabriel 
came  down  here  from  the  presence  of  God  it  would  be  a  sin 
to  worship  him,  or  any  seraph,  or  any  cherub,  or  Michael,  or 
any  archangel. 

•'Worship  God!"  And  if  Jesus  Chist  were  not  God  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh  we  are  guilty  of  idolatry  in  worshiping  Him. 
In  Matthew  xiv.  33,  we  read  :  "  Then  they  that  were  in  the 
ship  came  and  worshiped  Him,  saying,  Of  a  truth  Thou  art  the 
Son  of  God."     He  did  not  rebuke  them. 

And  in  Matthew  viii.  2,  we  also  read:  ''And,  behold, 
there  came  a  leper  and  icorshiped  Him,  saying.  Lord,  if  Thou 
wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean." 

In  Matthew  xv.  25  :  <'  Then  came  she,  and  worshiped  Him, 
saying,  Lord,  help  me!" 

There  are  many  other  passages;  but  I  give  these  as  suffi- 
cient in  my  opinion  to  prove  beyond  any  doubt  the  Divinity 
of  our  Lord. 

In  the  14th  chapter  of  Acts  we  are  told  the  heathen  of 
Lystra  came  with  garlands  and  would  have  done  sacrifice  to 
Paul  and  Barnabas  because  they  had  cured  an  impotent  man ; 
but  the  evangelists  rent  their  clothes  and  told  these  Lystrans 
that  they  were  but  men,  and  not  to  be  worshipped;  as  if  i* 
were  a  great  sin.  And  if  Jesus  Christ  is  a  mere  man,  we  are 
all  guilty  of  a  great  sin  in  worshipping  Him. 


10  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

But  if  He  is,  as  we  believe,  the  only-begotten  and  well- 
beloved  Son  of  God,  let  us  yield  to  His  claims  upon  us;  let  us 
rest  on  His  all-atoning  work,  and  go  forth  to  serve  Him  all  the 
days  of  ouriife. 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION.  71 


CHAPTER  VI. 
REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION. 

"  God  commandeth  all  men  evers-where  to  repent.  "—Acts  xvii.  30. 

Repentance  is  one  of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the 
Bible.  Yet  I  believe  it  is  one  of  those  truths  that  many 
people  little  understand  at  the  present  day.  There  are  more 
people  to-day  in  the  mist  and  darkness  about  Repentance, 
Regeneration,  the  Atonement,  and  such-like  fundamental 
truths,  than  perhaps  on  any  other  doctrines.  Yet  from  our 
earliest  years  we  have  heard  about  them.  If  I  were  to  ask 
for  a  definition  of  Repentance,  a  great  many  would  give  a  very 
strange  and  false  idea  of  it. 

A.  man  is  not  prepared  to  believe  or  to  receive  the  Gospel, 
unless  he  is  ready  to  repent  of  his  sins  and  turn  from  them. 
Until  John  the  Baptist  met  Christ,  he  had  but  one  text,  "Re- 
pent ye;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand"  (Matt.  iii.  2).. 
But  if  he  had  continued  to  say  this,  and  had  stopped  there 
without  pointing  the  people  to  Christ  the  Lamb  of  God,  he 
would  not  have  accomplished  much. 

When  Christ  came,  He  took  up  the  same  wilderness  cry, 
"Repent;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand"  (Matt.  iv. 
17).  And  v/hen  our  Lord  sent  out  His  disciples,  it  was  with 
the  same  message,  "that  men  should  repent"  (Mark  vi.  12). 
After  He  had  been  glorified,  and  when  the  Holy  Ghost  came 
down,  we  find  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  raising  the  same 
cry,  "Repent!"  It  was  this  preaching — Repent,  and  believe, 
the  Gospel — that  wrought  such  marvellous  results  then. 
(Acts  ii.   38 — 47).     And   we   find   that,  when  Paul   went  to 


72  THE  ^yAY  TO  GOD. 


Athens,  he  uttered  the  saijfie  cry,  "  Noic  God  commandeth  all 
men,  everywhere,  to  repent"  (Acts  xvii.  30). 

Before  I  speak  of  what  Repentance  is,  let  me  briefly  say 
what  it  is  not.  Repentance  is  not  fear.  Many  people  have 
confounded  the  two.  They  think  they  have  to  be  alarmed 
and  terrified;  and  they  are  waiting  for  some  kind  of  fear  to 
c  ome  down  upon  them.  But  multitudes  become  alarmed  who 
do  not  really  repent.  You  have  heard  of  men  at  sea  during  a 
terrible  storm.  Perhaps  they  have  been  very  profane  men; 
but  when  the  danger  came  they  suddenly  grew  quiet,  and  be- 
gan to  cry  to  God  for  mercy.  Yet  you  would  not  say  they 
repented.  When  the  storm  had  passed  away,  they  went  on 
swearing  the  same  as  before.  Y^ou  might  think  that  the  king 
of  Egypt  repented  when  God  sent  the  terrible  plagues  upon 
him  and  his  land.  But  it  was  not  repentance  at  all.  The 
moment  God's  hand  was  removed  Pharaoh's  heart  was  harder 
than  ever.  He  did  not  turn  from  a  single  sin ;  he  was  the 
same  man.     So  that  there  was  no  true  repentance  there. 

Often,  when  death  comes  into  a  family,  it  looks  as  if  the 
event  would  be  sanctified  to  the  conversion  of  all  who  are  in 
the  house.  Y'"et  in  six  months'  time  all  may  be  forgotten. 
Some  who  read  this  have  perhaps  passed  through  that  experi- 
ence. When  God's  hand  was  heavy  upon  them  it  looked  as  if 
they  were  going  to  repent;  but  the  trial  has  been  removed — 
and  lo  and  behold,  the  impression  has  all  gone. 

Then  again,  Repentance  is  not  feeling.  I  find  a  great 
many  people  are  waiting  for  a  certain  kind  of  feeling  to  come. 
They  would  like  to  turn  to  God;  but  think  they  cannot  do  it 
until  this  feeling  comes.  When  I  was  in  Baltimore  I  used  to 
preach  every  Sunday  in  the  Penitentiary  to  nine  hundred  con- 
victs. There  was  hardly  a  man  there  who  did  not  feel  miser- 
able enough :  they  had  plenty  of  feeling.  For  the  first  week 
or  ten  days  of  their  imprisonment  many  of  them  cried  half 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION.  73 

the  time.  Yet,  when  they  were  released,  most  of  them  would 
go  right  back  to  their  old  ways.  The  truth  was,  that  they  felt 
very  bad  because  they  had  got  caught;  that  was  all.  So  you 
have  seen  a  man  in  the  time  of  trial  show  a  good  deal  of  feel- 
ing :  but  very  often  it  is  only  because  he  has  got  into  trouble; 
not  because  he  has  committed  sin,  or  because  his  conscience 
tells  him  he  has  done  evil  in  the  sight  of  God.  It  seems  as  if 
the  trial  were  going  to  result  in  true  repentance ;  but  the  feel- 
ing too  often  passes  away. 

Once  again,  Kepentanceis  noi  fasting  and  afflicting  the  body. 
A  man  may  fast  for  weeks  and  months  and  years,  and  yet  not 
repent  of  one  sin.  Neither  is  it  remorse.  Judas  had  terrible 
remorse — enough  to  make  him  go  and  hang  himself;  but  that 
was  not  repentance.  I  believe  if  he  had  gone  to  his  Lord, 
fallen  on  his  face,  and  confessed  his  sin,  he  would  have  been 
forgiven.  Instead  of  this  he  went  to  the  priests,  and  then  put 
an  end  to  his  life.  A  man  may  do  all  sorts  of  penance — but 
there  is  no  true  repentance  in  that.  Put  that  down  in  your 
mind.  You  cannot  meet  the  claims  of  God  by  offering  the 
fruit  of  your  body  for  the  sin  of  your  soul.  Away  with  such 
a  delusion ! 

Repentance  is  not  conviction,  of  sin.  That  may  sound 
strange  to  some.  I  have  seen  men  under  such  deep  conviction 
of  sin  that  they  could  not  sleep  at  night;  they  could  not  enjoy 
a  single  meal.  They  went  on  for  months  in  this  state;  and 
yet  they  were  not  converted ;  they  did  not  truly  repent.  Do 
not  confound  conviction  of  sin  with  Repentance. 

Neither  is  jjraying — Repentance.  That  too  may  sound 
strange.  Many  people,  when  they  become  anxious  about 
their  soul's  salvation,  say,  "I  will  pray,  and  read  the  Bible;" 
and  they  think  that  will  bring  about  the  desired  effect. 
But  it  will  not  do  it.     You  may  read  the  Bible  and  cry  to  God 


74  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

a  great  deal,  and  yet  never  repent.  Many  people  cry  loudly  to 
God,  and  yet  do  not  repent. 

Another  thing  :  it  is  not  hrealdng  off  some  07ie  sin.  A  great 
many  people  make  that  mistake.  A  man  who  has  been  a 
drunkard  signs  the  pledge,  and  stops  drinking.  Breaking  off 
one  sin  is  not  Kepentance.  Forsaking  one  vice  is  like  break- 
ing off  one  limb  of  a  tree,  when  the  whole  tree  has  to  come 
down.  A  profane  man  stops  swearing ;  very  good  :  but  if  he 
does  not  break  oEfrom  every  sin  it  is  not  Repentance — it  is  not 
the.  work  of  God  in  the  soul.  When  God  works  He  hews 
down  the  whole  tree.  He  wants  to  have  a  man  turn  from 
every  sin.  Supposing  I  am  in  a  vessel  out  at  sea,  and  I  find 
the  ship  leaks  in  three  or  four  places.  I  may  go  and  stop  up 
one  hole;  yet  down  goes  the  vessel.  Or  suppose  I  am 
wounded  in  three  or  four  places,  and  I  get  a  remedy  for  one 
wound :  if  the  other  two  or  three  wounds  are  neglected,  my 
life  will  soon  be  gone.  True  Repentance  is  not  merely  break- 
ing off  this  or  that  particular  sin. 

Well  then,  you  will  ask,  what  is  Repentance?  I  will  give 
you  a  good  definition:  it  is  "right  about  face!"  In  the  Irish 
language  the  word  "Repentance"  means  even  more  than 
"right  about  face !"  It  implies  that  a  man  who  has  been  walk- 
ing in  one  direction  has  not  only  faced  about,  but  is  actually 
walking  in  an  exactly  contrary  direction.  "Turn  ye,  turn  ye; 
for  why  will  ye  die?"  A  man  may  have  little  feeling  or  much 
feeling;  but  if  he  do  not  turn  away  from  sin,  God  will  not 
have  mercy  on  him.  Repentance  has  also  been  described  as 
"a  change  of  mind."  For  instance,  there  is  the  parable  told 
by  Christ;  "A  certain  man  had  two  sons;  and  he  came  to  the 
first,  and  said,  Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.  He 
answered  and  said,  I  will  not"  (Matt.  xxi.  28,  29).  After  he 
had  said  "I  will  not"  he  thought  over  it,  and  changed  his 
mind.     Perhaps  he  may  have  said  to  himself,  "I  did  not  speak 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION.  75 

very  respectfully  to  my  father.  He  asked  me  to  go  and  work, 
and  I  told  him  I  would  not  go.  I  think  I  was  wrong."  But 
suppose  he  had  only  said  this,  and  still  had  not  gone,  he  would 
not  have  repented.  He  was  not  only  convinced  that  he  was 
wrong;  but  he  went  off  into  the  fields/ hoeing,  or  mowing  or 
whatever  it  was.  That  is  Christ's  definition  of  repentance.  If - 
a  man  says,  "By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  forsake  my  sin,  and 
do  His  will,"  that  is  Repentance — a  turning  right  about. 

Some  one  has  said,  man  is  born  with  his  face  turned  away 
from  God.  When  he  truly  repents  he  is  turned  right  around 
towards  God;  he  leaves  his  old  life. 

Can  a  man  at  once  repent?  Certainly  he  can.  It  does 
not  take  a  long  while  to  turn  around.  It  does  not  take 
a  man  six  months  to  change  his  mind.  There  was  a  vessel 
that  went  down  some  time  ago  on  the  Newfoundland 
coast.  As  she  was  bearing  towards  the  shore,  there  was  a 
moment  when  the  captain  could  have  given  orders  to  reverse 
the  engines  and  turn  back.  If  the  engines  had  been  reversed 
then,  the  ship  would  have  been  saved.  But  there  was  a 
moment  when  it  was  too  late.  So  there  is  a  moment,  I 
believe,  in  every  man's  life  when  he  can  halt  and  say,  "By  the 
grace  of  God  I  will  go  no  further  towards  death  and  ruin.  I 
repent  of  my  sins  and  turn  from  them."  You  may  say  you 
have  not  got  feeling  enough ;  but  if  you  are  convinced  that  you 
are  on  the  wrong  road,  turn  right  about,  and  say,  "I  will  no 
longer  go  on  in  the  way  of  rebellion  and  sin  as  I  have  done." 

Just  then,  when  you  are  wilhng  to  turn  towards  God,  sal- 
vation may  be  yours. 

I  find  that  every  case  of  conversion  recorded  in  the  Bible 
was  instantaneous.  Eepentance  and  faith  came  very  suddenly. 
The  moment  a  man  made  up  his  mind,  God  gave  him  the 
power.  God  does  not  ask  any  man  to  do  what  he  has  not  the 
power  to  do.     He  would  not  "command  all  men  everywhere 


76  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


to  repeut"  (Acts  xvii.  30)  if  they  were  not  able  to  do  so.  Man 
has  no  one  to  blame  but  himself  if  he  does  not  repent  and 
believe  the  Gospel.  One  of  the  leading  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  Ohio  wrote  me  a  letter  some  time  ago  describing  his 
conversion :  it  very  forcibly  illustrates  this  point  of  instanta- 
neous decision.     He  said : 

"I  was  nineteen  years  old,  and  was  reading  law  with  a 
Christian  lawyer  in  Vermont.  One  afternoon  when  he  was 
away  from  home,  his  good  wife  said  to  me  as  I  came  into  the 
house,  'I  want  you  to  go  to  class-meeting  with  me  to-night 
and  become  a  Christian,  so  that  you  can  conduct  family  wor- 
ship while  my  husband  is  away.'  'Well,  I'll  do  it,' I  said, 
without  any  thought.  When  I  came  into  the  house  again  she 
asked  me  if  I  was  honest  in  what  I  had  said.  I  replied,  'Yes, 
so  far  as  going  to  meeting  with  you  is  concerned ;  that  is  only 
courteous.' 

"I  went  with  her  to  the  class-meeting,  as  I  had  often  done 
before.  About  a  dozen  persons  were  present  in  a  little  school- 
house.  The  leader  had  spoken  to  all  in  the  room  but  myself 
and  two  others.  He  was  speaking  to  the  person  next  me, 
when  the  thought  occurred  to  me :  he  will  ask  me  if  I  have 
anything  to  say.  I  said  to  myself:  I  have  decided  to  be  a 
Christian  sometime ;  why  not  begin  now  ?  In  less  time  than 
a  minute  after  these  thoughts  had  passed  through  my  mind  he 
said,  speaking  to  me  familiarly — for  he  knew  me  very  well — 
'Brother  Charles,  have  you  anything  to  say?  I  replied,,  with 
perfect  coolness,  'Yes,  sir.  I  have  just  decided,  within  the  last 
thirty  seconds,  that  I  will  begin  a  Christian  life,  and  would 
like  to  have  you  pray  for  me.' 

"My  coolness  staggered  him;  I  think  he  almost  doubted 
my  sincerity.  He  said  very  little,  but  passed  on  and  spoke 
to  the  other  two.  After  a  few  general  remarks,  he  turned  to 
me  and   said,  'Brother  Charles,  will  you   close  the  meeting 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION,  11 

with  prayer?'  He  knew  I  had  never  prayed  in  puhhc.  Up  to 
this  moment  I  had  no  feehng.  It  was  purely  a  business  tran- 
saction. My  first  thought  was:  I  cannot  i^ray,  and  I  will  ask 
him  to  excuse  me.  My  second  was  :  I  have  said  I  will  begin 
a  Christian  life;  and  this  is  a  part  of  it.  So  I  said,  'Let  us 
pray.'  And  somewhere  between  the  time  I  started  to  kneel 
and  the  time  my  knees  struck  the  floor  the  Lord  converted  my 
soul. 

"The  first  words  I  said  were,  •  Glory  to  God!'  What  I 
said  after  that  I  do  not  know,  and  it  does  not  matter,  for  my 
soul  was  too  full  to  say  much  but  '  Glory!'  From  that  hour 
the  devil  has  never  dared  to  challenge  my  conversion.  To 
Christ  be  all  the  praise." 

Many  people  are  waiting,  they  cannot  exactly  tell  for  what, 
but  for  some  sort  of  miraculous  feeling  to  come  stealing  over 
them — some  mysterious  kind  of  faith.  I  was  speaking  to  a 
man  some  years  ago,  and  he  always  had  one  answer  to  give 
me.  For  five  years  I  tried  to  win  him  to  Christ,  and  every 
year  he  said,  "It  has  not  '  struck  me  '  yet."  "Man,  what  do 
you  mean?  What  has  not  struck  you?"  "Well,  "  he  said, 
"I  am  not  going  to  become  a  Christian  until  it  strikes  me ;  and 
it  has  not  struck  me  yet.  I  do  not  see  it  in  the  w^ay  you  see 
it."  "But  don't  you  know  you  are  a  sinner?"  "Yes,  I  know 
I  am  a  sinner."  "Well,  don't  you  know  that  God  wants  to 
have  mercy  on  you — that  there  is  forgiveness  with  God?  He 
wants  you  to  repent  and  come  to  Him."  "Yes,  I  know  that; 
but — it  has  not  struck  me  yet."  He  always  fell  back  on  that. 
Poor  man !  he  went  down  to  his  grave  in  a  state  of  indecision. 
Sixty  long  years  God  gave  him  to  repent ;  and  all  he  had  to 
say  at  the  end  of  those  years  was  that  it  "had  not  struck  him 

yet." 

Is  any  reader  waiting  for  some  strange  feeling — you  do 
not  know  what?  Nowhere  in  the  Bible  is  a  man  told  to  wait- 
God  is  commanding  you  now  to  repent. 


78  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


Do  you  think  God  can  forgive  %man  when  he  does  not 
want  to  be  forgiven?  Would  he  be  happy  if  God  forgave  him 
in  this  state  of  mind?  Why,  if  a  man  went  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  without  repentance,  heaven  would  be  hell  to  him. 
Heaven  is  a  prepared  place  for  a  prepared  people.  If  your 
boy  has  done  wrong,  and  will  not  repent,  you  cannot  forgive 
him.  You  would  be  doing  him  an  injustice.  Suppose  he 
goes  to  your  desk,  and  steals  $10,  and  squanders  it.  When 
you  come  home  your  servant  tells  you  what  your  boy  has  done. 
You  ask  if  it  is  true,  and  he  denies  it.  But  at  last  you  have 
certain  proof.  Even  when  he  finds  he  cannot  deny  it  any 
longer,  he  will  not  confess  the  sin,  but  says  he  will  do  it  again 
the  first  chance  he  gets.  Would  you  say  to  him,  "Well,  I 
forgive  you,"  and  leave  the  matter  there?  No!  Yet  people 
say  that  God  is  going  to  save  all  men,  whether  they  repent  or 
not — drunkards,  thieves,  harlots,  whoremongers,  it  makes  no 
difference.  "God  is  so  merciful,"  they  say.  Dear  friend,  do 
not  be  deceived  by  the  god  of  this  world.  Where  there  is  true 
repentance  and  a  turning  from  sin  unto  God,  He  will  meet 
and  bless  you;  but  He  never  blesses  until  there  is  sincere  re- 
pentance. 

David  made  a  wofitl  mistake  in  this  respect  with  his  rebel- 
lious son,  Absalom.  He  could  not  have  done  his  son  a  greater 
injustice  than  to  forgive  him  when  his  heart  was  unchanged. 
There  could  be  no  true  reconcilliation  between  them  when 
there  was  no  repentance.  But  God  does  not  make  these  mis- 
takes. David  got  into  trouble  on  account  of  his  error  of  judg- 
ment.    His  son  soon  drove  his  father  from  the  throne. 

Speaking  on  repentance.  Dr.  Brooks,  of  St.  Louis,  well 
remarks:  "Repentance,  strictly  speaking,  means  a  'change 
of  mind  or  purpose;'  consequently  it  is  the  judgment  which 
the  sinner  pronounces  upon  himself,  in  view  of  the  love  of 
God  displayed  in   the   death  of  Christ,  connected  with  the 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION.  79 

abandonment  of  all  confidence  in  himself  and  with  trust  in 
the  only  Saviour  of  sinners.  Saving  repentance  and  saving 
faith  always  go  together;  and  you  need  not  be  worried  about 
repentance  if  you  will  believe." 

"Some  people  are  no  sure  that  they  have  '  repented  enough.' 
If  you  mean  by  this  that  you  must  repent  in  order  to  incline 
God  to  be  merciful  to  you,  the  sooner  you  give  over  such  re- 
pentance the  better.  God  is  already  merciful,  as  He  has  fully 
shovv'n  at  the  Cross  of  Calvary ;  and  it  is  a  grievous  dishonor 
to  His  heart  of  love  if  you  think  that  your  tears  and  anguish 
will  move  Him,  'not  knowing  that  the  goodness  of  God 
leadeth  thee  to  repentance.'  It  is  not  your  badness,  therefore, 
but  His  goodness  that  leads  to  repentance;  hence  the  true 
way  to  repent  is  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  '  who 
was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for  our 
justification.'  " 

Another  thing.  If  there  is  true  repentance  it  will  bring 
forth  fruit.  If  we  have  done  wrong  to  any  one  we  should 
never  ask  God  to  forgive  us,  until  we  are  willing  to  make  res- 
titution. If  I  have  done  any  man  a  great  injustice  and  can 
make  it  good,  I  need  not  ask  God  to  forgive  me  until  I  am 
willing  to  make  it  good.  Suppose  I  have  taken  something 
that  does  not  belong  to  me.  I  have  no  right  to  expect  forgive, 
ness  until  I  make  restitution. 

I  remember  preaching  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  when  a 
fine-looking  man  came  up  to  me  at  the  close.  He  was  in  great 
distress  of  mind.  "The  fact  is,"  he  said,  "I  am  a  defaulter. 
I  have  taken  money  that  belonged  to  my  employers.  How  can 
I  become  a  Christian  without  restoring  it?"  *'  Have  you  got 
the  money?"  He  told  me  he  had  not  got  it  all.  He  had  taken 
about  1^1,500,  and  he  still  had  about  f  900.  He  said,  '•  Could 
I  not  take  that  money  and  go  into  business,  and  make  enough 
to  pay  them  back?"     I  told  him  that  was  a  delusion  of  Satan; 


80  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

that  he  could  not  expect  to  prosper  on  stolen  money ;  that  he 
should  restore  all  he  had,  and  go  and  ask  his  employers  to 
have  mercy  upon  him  and  forgive  him.  *'But  they  will  put 
me  in  prison,"  he  said:  "cannot  you  give  me  any  help?" 
"No,  you  must  restore  the  money  before  you  can  expect  to  get 
any  help  from  God."  ''It  is  pretty  hard,"  he  said.  "  Yes,  it 
is  hard;  but  the  great  mistake  was  in  doing  the  wrong  at 
first." 

His  burden  became  so  heavy  that  it  got  to  be  insupportable. 
He  handed  me  the  money — 950  dollars  and  some  cents — and 
asked  me  to  take  it  back  to  his  employers.  The  next  even- 
ing the  two  employers  and  myself  met  in  a  side  room  of 
the  church.  I  laid  the  money  down,  and  informed  them  it 
was  from  one  of  their  ewpJoijes.  I  told  them  the  story,  and 
said  he  wanted  mercy  from  them,  not  justice.  The  tears 
trickled  down  the  cheeks  of  these  two  men,  and  they  said, 
•«  Forgive  him!  Yes,  we  will  be  glad  to  forgive  him."  I  went 
down  stairs  and  brought  him  up.  After  he  had  confessed  his 
guilt  and  been  forgiven,  we  all  got  down  on  our  knees  and  had 
a  blessed  prayer-meeting.     God  met  us  and  blessed  us  there. 

There  was  a  friend  of  mine  who  some  time  ago  had  come 
to  Christ  and  wished  to  consecrate  himself  and  his  wealth  to 
God.  He  had  formerly  had  transactions  with  the  govern- 
ment, and  had  taken  advantage  of  them.  This  thing  came  up 
when  he  was  converted,  and  his  conscience  troubled  him.  He 
said,  "  I  want  to  consecrate  my  wealth,  but  it  seems  as  if  God 
will  not  take  it. "  He  had  a  terrible  struggle;  his  conscience 
kept  rising  up  and  smiting  him.  At  last  he  drew  a  check 
for  f  1,500  and  sent  it  to  the  United  States  Treasury.  He 
told  me  he  received  such  a  blessing  when  he  had  done  it. 
That  was  bringing  forth  "fruits  meet  for  repentance,"  I  be- 
lieve a  great  many  men  are  crying  to  God  for  light;  and  they 
are  not  getting  it  because  they  are  not  honest. 


REPENTANCE  A ND  RES  TITUTION.  8 1 

I  was  once  preaching,  and  a  man  came  to  me  who  was  only 
thirty-two  years  old,  but  whose  hair  was  very  grey.  He  said, 
"I  want  you  to  notice  that  my  hair  is  grey,  and  I  am  only 
thirty-two  years  old.  For  twelve  years  I  have  carried  a  great 
burden."  "Well,"  I  said,  "what  is  it?"  He  looked  around  as 
if  afraid  some  one  would  hear  him.  "Well,"  he  answered, 
"my  father  died  and  left  my  mother  with  the  county  news- 
paper, and  left  her  only  that :  that  was  all  she  had.  After  he 
died  the  paper  began  to  waste  away;  and  I  saw  my  mother 
was  fast  sinking  into  a  state  of  need.  The  building  and  the 
paper  were  insured  for  a  thousand  dollars,  and  when  I  was 
twenty  years  old  I  set  fire  to  the  building,  and  obtained  the 
thousand  dollars,  and  gave  it  to  my  mother.  For  twelve  years 
that  sin  has  been  haunting  me.  I  have  tried 'to  drown  it  by  in- 
dulgence in  pleasure  and  sin ;  I  have  cursed  God ;  I  have  gone 
into  infidelity;  I  have  tried  to  make  out  that  the  Bible  is  not 
true;  I  have  done  everything  I  could:  but  all  these  years  I 
have  been  tormented."  I  said,  "There  is  a  way  out  of  that." 
He  inquired  "How?"  I  said,  "Make  restitution.  Let  us  sit 
down  and  calculate  the  interest,  and  then  you  pay  the  Com- 
pany the  money."  It  would  have  done  you  good  to  see  that 
man's  face  light  up  when  he  found  there  was  mercy  for  him. 
He  said  he  would  be  glad  to  pay  back  the  money  and  interest 
if  he  could  only  be  forgiven. 

There  are  men  to- day  who  are  in  darkness  and  bondage 
because  they  are  not  willing  to  turn  from  their  sins  and  con- 
fess them;  and  I  do  not  know  how  a  man  can  hope  to  be  for- 
given if  he  is  not  willing  to  confess  his  sins. 

Bear  in  mind  that  now  is  the  only  day  of  mercy  you  will 
ever  have.  You  can  repent  now,  and  have  the  awful  record 
blotted  out.  God  waits  to  forgive  you;  He  is  seeking  to  bring 
you  to  Himself.  But  I  think  the  Bible  teaches  clearly  that 
there  is  no  repentance  after  thh  life.     There  are  some  who  tell 


82  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


you  of  the  possibility  of  repentance  in  the  grave ;  but  I  do  not 
find  that  in  Scripture.  I  have  looked  my  Bible  over  very  care- 
fully, and  I  cannot  find  that  a  man  will  have  another  oppor- 
tunity of  being  saved. 

Why  should  he  ask  for  any  more  time  ■  You  have  time 
enough  to  repent  now.  You  can  turn  from  your  sins  this 
moment  if  you  will.  God  says:  "I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  him  that  dieth;  wherefore  turn,  and  hve  ye"  (Ezek. 
xviii.  32). 

Christ  said,  He  "came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance."  Are  you  a  sinner?  Then  the  call  to  repent 
is  addressed  to  you.  Take  your  place  in  the  dust  at  the 
Saviour's  feet,  and  acknowledge  your  guilt.  Say,  like  the  pub- 
lican of  old,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!"  and  see  how 
quickly  He  will  pardon  and  bless  you.  He  will  even  justify 
you  and  reckon  you  as  righteous,  by  virtue  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Him  who  bore  your  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the 
Cross. 

There  are  some  perhaps  who  think  themselves  righteous ; 
and  that,  therefore,  there  is  no  need  for  them  to  repent  and  be- 
lieve the  Gospel.  They  are  like  the  Pharisee  in  the  parable, 
who  thanked  God  that  he  was  not  as  other  men — "extortion- 
ers, unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican;"  and  who 
went  on  to  say,  "I  fast  twice  a  week;  I  give  tithes  of  all  I 
possess."  What  is  the  judgment  about  such  self-righteous 
persons?  "I  tell  you  this  man  [the  poor,  contrite,  repenting 
jpublican]  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the 
other  "  (Luke  xviii.  11 — 1-4).  "There  is  none  righteous;  no, 
hot  one."  "All  have  sinned,-  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
trod  "  (Rom.  iii.  10,  23).  Let  no  one  say  he  does  not  need  to 
repent.  Let  each  one  take  his  true  place — that  of  a  sinner; 
theii  God  will  lift  him  up  td  the  place  of  forgiveness  and  justi- 


REPENTANCE  AND  RESTITUTION.  H'3 

fication.  "Whosoever  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased ;  and 
he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted  "  (Luke  xiv.  11). 

Wherever  God  sees  true  repentance  in  the  heart  He  meets 
that  soul. 

I  was  in  Colorado,  preaching  the  gospel  some  time  ago,  and 
I  heard  something  that  touched  my  heart  very  much.  The 
governor  of  the  State  was  passing  through  the  prison,  and  in 
one  cell  he  found  a  boy  who  had  his  window  full  of  flowers,, 
that  seemed  to  have  been  watched  with  very  tender  care.  The; 
governor  looked  at  the  prisoner,  and  then  at  the  flowers,  and 
asked  whose  they  were,  "These  are  my  flow^ers,"  said  the' 
poor  convict.  "Are  you  fond  of  flowers?"  "Yes,  sir."  "How 
long  have  you  been  here?"  He  told  him  so  many  years:  he 
was  in  for  a  long  sentence.  The  governor  was  surprised  to 
find  him  so  fond  of  the  flowers,  and  he  said,  "Can  you  tell  me 
why  you  like  these  flowers  so  much?"  With  much  emotion 
he  replied,  "While  my  mother  was  alive  she  thought  a  good 
deal  of  flowers ;  and  when  I  came  here  I  thought  if  I  had  these 
they  would  remind  me  of  mother. "  The  governor  was  so 
pleased  that  he  said,  "Well,  young  man,  if  you  think  so  much 
of  your  mother  I  think  you  will  appreciate  your  liberty,"  and 
he  pardoned  him  then  and  there. 

When  God  fincR  that  beautiful  flower  of  true  repentance 
springing  up  in  a  man's  heart,  then  salvation  comes  to  that 
man. 


84  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
ASSURANCE   OF   SALVATION, 

These  things  have  I  -written  unto  you  that  beJieve  on  the  name  of  the  Son 
of  God ;  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  that  ye  may  believe  on 
the  name  of  the  Son  of  God." 

(1  JOHN  V.  13.) 

Theee  are  two  classes  who  ought  not  to  have  Assurance. 
First:  those  who  are  m  the  Church,  but  who  are  not  con- 
verted, having  never  been  born  of  the  Spirit.  Second :  those 
are  not  wilhng  to  do  God's  will;  who  are  not  ready  to  take  the 
place  that  God  has  mapped  out  for  them,  but  want  to  fill  some 
other  place. 

Some  one  will  ask  "Have  all  God's  people  Assurance?" 
No;  I  think  a  good  many  of  God's  dear  people  have  no  Assur- 
ance; but  it  is  the  privilege  of  e^ery  child  of  God  to  have 
beyond  doubt  a  knowledge  of  his  own  salvation.  No  man  is 
fit  fcr  God's  service  who  is  filled  with  doubts.  If  a  man  is 
not  sure  of  his  own  salvation,  how  can  hg  help  any  one  else 
into  the  kingdom  of  God?  If  I  seem  in  danger  of  drowning 
and  do  not  know  whether  I  shall  ever  reach  the  shore,  I  can- 
not assist  another.  I  must  first  get  on  the  solid  rock  myself; 
and  then  I  can  lend  my  brother  a  helping  hand.  If  being 
myself  blind  I  were  to  tell  another  blind  man  how  to  get  sight, 
he  might  reply,  "First  get  healed  yourself;  and  then  you  can 
tell  me. "  I  recently  met  with  a  young  man  who  was  a  Chris- 
tian; but  lie  had  not  attained  to  victory  over  sin.  He  was  in 
terrible  darkness.  Such  an  one  is  not  fit  to  work  for  God, 
because  he  has  besetting  sins ;  and  he  has  not  the  victory  over 
his  doubts,  because  he  has  not  the  victory  over  his  sins. 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  85 

None  will  have  time  or  heart  to  work  for  God,  who  are  not 
assured  as  to  their  own  salvation.  They  have  as  much  as 
they  can  attend  to;  and  being  themselves  burdened  with 
doubts,  they  cannot  help  others  to  carry  their  burdens.  There 
is  no  rest,  joy,  or  peace — no  liberty,  nor  power — where  doubts 
and  uncertainty  exist. 

Now  it  seems  as  if  there  are  three  wiles  of  Satan  against 
which  we  ought  to  be  on  our  guard.  In  the  first  place  he 
moves  all  his  kingdom  to  keep  us  away  from  Christ;  then  he 
devotes  himself  to  get  us  into  "Doubting  Castle:"  but  if  we 
have,  in  spite  of  him,  a  clear  ringing  witness  for  the  Son  of 
God,  he  will  do  all  he  can  to  blacken  our  characters  and  belie 
our  testimony. 

Some  seem  to  think  that  it  is  presumption  not  to  have 
doubts:  but  doubt  is  very  dishonoring  to  God.  If  any  one 
were  to  say  that  they  had  known  a  person  for  thirty  years  and 
yet  doubted  him,  it  would  not  be  very  creditable :  and  when 
we  have  known  God  for  ten,  twenty  or  thirty  years  does  it  not 
reflect  on  His  veracity  to  doubt  Him  ? 

Could  Paul  and  the  early  Christians  and  martyrs  have  gone 
through  what  they  did  if  they  had  been  filled  with  doubts,  and 
had  not  known  whether  they  were  going  to  heaven  or  to  perdi- 
tion after  they  had  been  burned  at  the  stake  ?  They  must  have 
had  Assurance. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  says;  "I  never  heard  of  a  stork  that  when  it 
met  with  a  fir  tree  demurred  as  to  its  right  to  build  its  nest 
there;  and  I  never  heard  of  a  coney  yet  that  questioned 
whether  it  had  a  permit  to  run  into  the  rock.  Why,  these 
creatures  would  soon  perish  if  they  were  always  doubting  and 
fearing  as  to  whether  they  had  a  right  to  use  providential  pro- 
visions. 

"The  stork  says  to  himself,  'Ah,  here  is  a  fir  tree:'  he 
consults  with  his  mate,  'Will  this  do  for  the  nest  in  which  we 


THE  WAY  TO  QOt^. 


may  rear  oni'  young?'  'Aye,'  says  she;  and  they  gather  the 
materials,  and  arrange  them.  There  is  never  any  dehher- 
ation,  'May  we  build  here?'  but  they  bring  their  sticks  and 
make  their  nest. 

"The  wild  goat  on  the  crag  does  not  say,  'Have  I  a  right 
here  ?'  No,  he  must  be  somewhere ;  and  there  is  a  crag  which 
exactly  suits  him ;  and  he  springs  upon  it. 

"Yet,  though  these  dumb  creatures  know  the  provision  of 
their  God,  the  sinner  does  not  recognize  the  provision  of  his 
Saviour.  He  quibbles  and  questions,  'May  I?'  and  'I  am 
afraid  it  is  not  for  me;'  and  'I  think  it  cannot  be  meant  for 
me;'  and  'I  am  afraid  it  is  too  good  to  be  true.' 

"And  yet  nobody  ever  said  to  the  stork,  'Whosoever buildeth 
on  this  fir  tree  shall  never  have  his  nest  pulled  down'.'  No 
inspired  word  has  ever  said  to  the  coney,  'Whosoever  runs 
into  this  rock  cleft  shall  never  be  driven  out  of  it. "  If  it  had 
been  so  it  would  make  assurance  doubly  sure. 

"And  yet  here  is  Christ  provided  for  sinners,  just  the  sort 
of  a  Saviour  sinners  need ;  and  the  encouragement  is  added, 
'Him  that  cometh  unto  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out;'  'Who- 
soever will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely.'  " 

Now  let  us  come  to  the  Word.  John  tells  us  in  his  Gospel 
what  Christ  did  for  us  on  earth.  In  his  Epistle  He  tells  us 
what  He  is  doing  fgr  us  in  heaven  as  our  Advocate.  In  his; 
Gospel  there  are  only. two  chapters  in  which  the  word  "believe"' 
does  not  occur.  With  these  two  exceptions,  every  chapter  in 
John  is  "Believe!  Believe!!  Believe!!!"  He  tells  us  in  xx. 
31,  "But  these  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  son  of  God,  and  that,  believing,  ye  might 
have  life  through  His  name.  That  is  the  purpose  for  which  he 
wrote  the  Gospel — "that  we  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God:  and  that,  believing,  we  might  have 
life  through  His  name"  (John  xx.  31). 


ASSURAWE  OF  SALVATION.  87 

Turn  to  1  John  v.  13,  he  there  tells  us  why  he  wrote  this 
Epistle:  "These  things  have  I  written  unto  you  that  helieve  on 
the  name  of  the  Son  of  God. "  Notice  to  whom  he  writes  it : 
"You  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God;  that  ye 
may  know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  that  ye  may  believe 
on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God."  There  are  only  five  short 
chapters  in  this  first  Epistle,  and  the  word  "know"  occurs  over 
forty  times.  It  is  ''Know!  Know!!  KNOW!!!"  The  Key  to 
it  is  Know!  and  all  through  the- Epistle  there  rings  out  the 
refrain — "that  we  might  know  that  we  have  eternal  life." 

I  went  twelve  hundred  miles  down  the  Mississippi  in  the 
spring  some  years  ago;  and  every  evening,  just  as  the  sun 
went  down,  you  might  have  seen  men,  and  sometimes  women, 
riding  np  to  the  banks  of  the  river  on  either  side  on  mules  or 
horses,  and  sometimes  coming  on  foot,  for  the  purpose  of 
lighting  up  the  Government  lights;  and  all  down  that  mighty 
river  there  Avere  landmarks  which  guided  the  pilots  in  their 
dangerous  navigation.  Now  God  has  given  us  lights  or  land- 
marks to  tell  us  whether  we  are  His  children  or  not ;  and  what 
we  need  to  do  is  to  examine  the  tokens  He  has  given  us. 

In  the  third  chapter  of  John's  first  Epistle  there  are  five 
things  worth  knowing. 

In  the  fifth  verse  we  read  the  first :  "And  ye  Jmow  that 
He  was  manifiested  to  take  away  our  sins;  and  in  Him 
is  no  sin."  Not  what  I  have  done,  but  what  HE  has 
done.  Has  He  failed  in  His  mission?  Is  He  not  able  to 
do  what  He  came  for?  Did  ever  any  heaven-sent  man  fail 
j^et?  and  could  God's  own  Son  fail?     He  was  manifested  to 

TAKE  AWAY  OUR  SINS. 

Again,  in  the  nineteenth  verse,  the  second  thing  worth 
knowing:  "And  hereby  ice  k?iow  that  we  are  of  the  truth,  9,nd 
shall  assure  our  hearts  before  Him."  We  know  that  we  are  of 
THE  TRUTH.     And  if  the  truth  make  us  free,  we  shall  be  free 


88  THE  WAY  TO  OOD. 

indeed.  "If  the  Son  therefore  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be 
free  indeed."     (John  viii.  36.) 

The  third  thing  worth  knowing  is  in  the  fourteenth  verse, 
''We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because 
we  love  the  brethren."  The  natural  man  does  not  like  godly 
people,  nor  does  he  care  to  be  in  their  company.  "He  that 
loveth  not  his  brother  abideth  in  death."  He  has  no  spiritual 
life. 

The  fourth  thing  worth  knowing  we  find  in  verse  twenty- 
four:  "And  he  that  keepeth  His  commandments  dwelleth  in 
Him,  and  He  in  him.  And  hereby  we  know  that  He  abideth 
in  us,  by  the  Spirit  which  He  hath  given  us.  We  can  tell 
what  kind  of  Spirit  we  have  if  we  possess  the  Spirit  of  Christ — 
a  Christ-like  spirit — not  the  same  in  degree,  but  the  same  in 
kind.  If  I  am  meek,  gentle,  and  forgiving;  if  I  have  a  spirit 
filled  with  peace  and  joy;  if  I  am  long-suffering  and  gentle, 
like  the  Son  of  God — that  is  a  test :  and  in  that  way  we  are  to 
tell  whether  we  have  eternal  life  or  not. 

The  fifth  thing  worth  knov/ing,  and  the  best  of  all,  is 
"Beloved,  now.''  Notice  the  word  "Now."  It  does  not  say 
when  you  come  to  die.  "Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God; 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that, 
when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him ;  for  we  shall  see 
Him  as  He  is"  {v.  2). 

But  some  will  say,  "Well,  I  beheve  all  that;  but  then  I 
have  sinned  since  I  became  a  Christian."  Is  there  a  man  or 
a  woman  on  the  face  of  the  earth  who  has  not  sinned  since 
becoming  a  Christian?  Not  one!  There  never  has  been,  and 
never  will  be,  a  soul  on  this  earth  who  has  not  sinned,  or  who 
will  not  sin,  at  some  time  of  their  Christian  experience.  But 
God  has  made  provision  for  believers'  sins.  We  are  not  to 
make  provision  for  them;  but  God  has.     Bear  that  in  mind. 


ASStlRANCE  OF  SALVATION.  M 

Turn  to  1  John  ii.  1:  "My  little  children,  these  things 
write  I  unto  you,  that  ye  sin  not.  And  if  any  man  sin,  we 
have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous." 
He  is  here  writing  to  the  righteous.  "If  any  man  sin,  we'' — • 
John  put  himself  in — "we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  What  an  Advocate!  He  attends 
to  oiir  interests  at  the  very  best  place — the  throne  of  God.  He 
said,  "Nevertheless,  I  tell  you  the  truth;  it  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away"  (John  xvi.  7).  He  went  away  to  become 
our  High  Priest,  and  also  our  Advocate.  He  has  had  some 
hard  cases  to  plead;  but  he  has  never  lost  one:  and  if  you 
entrust  your  immortal  interests  to  Him,  He  will  "present  you 
faultless  before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy" 
(Jude  2-1). 

The  past  sins  of  Christians  are  all  forgiven  as  soon  as  they 
are  confessed ;  and  they  are  never  to  be  mentioned.  That  is  a 
question  which  is  not  to  be  opened  up  again.  If  our  sins 
have  been  put  away,  that  is  the  end  of  them.  They  are  not 
to  be  remembered ;  and  God  will  not  mention  them  any  more. 
This  is  very  plain.  Suppose  I  have  a  son  who,  while  I  am 
from  home,  does  wrong.  When  I  go  home  he  throws  his 
arms  around  my  neck  and  says,  "Papa,  I  did  what  you  told 
me  not  to  do.  »  I  am  very  sorry.  Do  forgive  me."  I  say; 
"Yes,  my  son,"  and  kiss  him.  He  wipes  away  his  tears,  and 
goes  off  rejoicing. 

But  the  next  day  he  says  :  "Papa,  I  wish  you  would  for- 
give me  for  the  wrong  I  did  yesterday."  I  should  say;  *'Why, 
my  son,  that  thing  is  settled;  and  I  don't  want  it  mentioned 
again."  "But  I  wish  you  would  forgive  me:  it  would  help  me 
to  hear  you  say,  'I  forgive  you.'  "  Would  that  be  honoring 
me?  Would  it  not  grieve  me  to  have  my  boy  doubt  me?  But 
to  gratify  him  I  say  again,  "I  forgive  you,  my  son." 


90  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

And  if,  the  next  daj-,  he  were  again  to  bring  up  that  old 
sin,  and  ask  forgiveness,  would  not  that  grieve  me  to  the 
heart?  And  so,  my  dear  reader,  if  God  has  forgiven  us,  never 
let  us  mention  the  past.  Let  us  forget  those  things  which  are 
behind,  and  reach  forth  unto  those  which  are  before,  and 
press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus.  Let  the  sins  of  the  past  go;  for  "If  we  con- 
fess our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 
^iid  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness"  (1  John  i.  9). 

And  let  me  say  that  this  principle  is  recognized  in  courts  of 
justice.  A  case  came  up  in  the  courts  of  a  country — I  won't 
say  where — in  which  a  man  had  had  trouble  with  his  wife; 
but  he  forgave  her,  and  then  afterwards  brought  her  in.to 
court.  And,  when  it  was  known  that  he  had  forgiven  her,  the 
judge  said  that  the  thing  was  settled.  The  judge  recognized 
the  soundness  of  the  principle,  that  if  a  sin  were  once  forgiven 
there  was  an  end  of  it.  And  do  you  think  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  will  forgive  you  and  me,  and  open  the  question  again? 
Our  sins  are  gone  for  time  and  eternity,  if  God  forgives;  and 
what  we  have  to  do  is  to  confess  and  forsake  our  sins. 

Again  in  2  Corinthians  xiii.  5:  "Examine  yourselves 
whether  ye  be  in  the  faith;  prove  your  own  selves.  Know  ye 
not  your  own  selves,  how  that  Jesus  Christ  is  in  you,  except  ye 
be  reprobates?"  N5w  examine  yourselves.  Try  your  religion. 
Put  it  to  the  test.  jCan  you  forgive  an  enemy?  That  is  a 
good  way  to  know  if  you  are  a  child  of  God.  Can  you  forgive 
^n  injury,  or  take  an  affront,  as  Christ  did?  Can  you  be 
^ensured  for  doing  well,  and  not  murmur?  Can  you  be  mis- 
judged and  misrepresented,  and  yet  keep  a  Christ-like  spirit? 

Another  good  test  is  to  read  Galatians  v.,  and  notice  the 
^iruits  of  the  Spirit;  and  see  if  you  have  them.  "The  fruit  of 
the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long  suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness faith,  meekness,  temperance:   against  such  there  is  no 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  91 

law."  If  I  have  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  I  must  have  the  Spirit. 
I  could  not  have  the  fruits  without  the  Spirit  any  more  than 
there  could  be  an  orange  without  the  tree.  And  Christ  says  • 
"Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits;"  "for  the  tree  is  known 
by  his  fruits."  Make  the  tree  good,  and  the  fruit  will  be  good. 
The  only  way  to  get  the  fruit  is  to  have  the  Spirit.  That  is 
the  way  to  examine  ourselves  whether  we  are  the  children  of 
Ood. 

Then  there  is  another  very  striking  passage.  In  Romans 
"viii.  9,  Paul  says:  "Now,  if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  he  is  none  of  His."  That  ought  to  settle  the  question, 
even  though  one  may  have  gone  through  all  the  external  forms 
that  are  considered  necessary  by  some  to  constitute  a  member 
of  a  Church.  Read"  Paul's  life,  and  put  yours  alongside  of  it. 
If  your  life  resembles  his,  it  is  a  proof  that  you  are  born  again 
— that  you  are  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus. 

But  although  you  may  be  born  again,  it  will  require  time 
to  become  a  full-grown  Christian.  Justification  is  instantane- 
ous; but  sanctification  is  a  life-work.  We  are  to  grow  in  wis- 
dom. Peter  says  :  "Grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ"  (2  Pet.  iii.  18);  and  in 
the  first  chapter  of  his  Second  Epistle,  "Add  to  yourfaitli  vir- 
tue ;  and  to  virtue  knowledge ;  and  to  knowledge  temperance ; 
and  to  temperance  patience ;  and  to  patience  godliness;  and  to 
godliness  brotherly  kindness ;  and  to  brotherly  kindness  char- 
ity. For  if  these  things  be  in  you  and  abound  they  make  you 
that  ye  shall  neither  be  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  So  that  we  are  to  add  grace  to 
grace.  A  tree  may  be  perfect  in  its  first  year  of  growth ;  but 
it  does  not  attain  its  maturity.  So  with  the  Christian :  he 
may  be  a  true  child  of  God,  but  not  a  matured  Christian.  The 
eighth  of  Romans  is  very  important,  and  we  should  be  very 
familiar  with  it.     In  the  fourteenth  verse  the  apostle  says : 


b!^  THE  WAT  TO  GOB. 


"For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  they  are  the  sons 
of  God."  Just  as  the  soldier  is  led  by  his  captain,  the  pupil 
by  his  teacher,  or  the  traveller  by  his  guide;  so  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  be  the  guide  of  every  true  child  of  God. 

Then  let  me  call  your  attention  to  another  fact.  All 
Paul's  teaching  in  nearly  every  Epistle  rings  out  the  doctrine 
of  assurance.  He  says  in  2  Corinthians  v.  1:  "For  we  knuiv 
that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we 
have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens."  He  had  a  title  to  the  mansions  above,  and 
he  says — I  know  it.  He  was  not  living  in  uncertainty.  He 
said:  "I  have  a  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  "  (Phil. 
i.  23) ;  and  if  he  had  been  uncertain  he  would  not  have  said 
that.  Then  in  Colossians  iii.  4,  he  says:  "When  Christ,  who 
is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in 
glory."  I  am  told  that  Dr.  Watts'  tombstone  bears  this  same 
passage  of  Scripture.     There  is  no  doubt  there. 

Then  turn  to  Colossians  i.  12;  "Giving  thanks  unto  the 
Father,  which  hath  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inher- 
itance of  the  saints  in  light;  who  hath  delivered  us  from  the 
power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of 
His  dear  Son." 

Three  haths  :  "hath  made  us  meet;"  "hath  delivered  us;" 
and  "hath  translated  us."  It  does  not  say  that  He  is  going  to 
make  us  meet;  that  He  is  going  to  deliver;  that  He  is  going 
to  translate. 

Then  again  in  verse  14th:  "In  whom  we  have  redemp- 
tion through  His  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  We 
are  either  forgiven  or  we  are  not,  we  should  not  give  ourselves 
any  rest  until  we  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God;  nor  until  we 
can  each  look  up  and  say,  "I  know  that  if  my  earthly  house  of 
this  tabernacle  were  dissolved,  I  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens"  (2  Cor.  v.  1). 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  93 

Look  at  Romans  viii.  32:  "He  that  spared  not  His  own 
Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with 
Him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?"  If  He  gave  us  His  Son, 
will  He  not  give  us  the  certainty  that  He  is  ours.  I  have 
heard  this  illustration.  There  was  a  man  who  owed  $10,- 
000,  and  would  have  been  made  a  bankrupt,  but  a  friend  came 
forward  and  paid  the  sum.  It  was  found  afterwards  that  he 
owed  a  few  doUars  more;  but  he  did  not  for  a  moment  enter- 
tain a  doubt  that,  as  his  friend  had  paid  the  larger  amount,  he 
would  also  pay  the  smaller.  And  we  have  high  warrant  for 
saying  that  if  God  has  given  us  His  Son  He  will  with  Him 
also  freely  give  us  all  things;  and  if  we  want  to  realize  our  sal- 
vation beyond  controversy  He  will  not  leave  us  in  darkness. 

Again  in  the  33d  verse:  "Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the 
charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he 
that  condemneth?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is 
risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also 
maketh  intercession  for  us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  Christ?  shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword?  As  it  is  written. 
For  Thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  are  ac- 
counted as  sheep  for  the  slaughter.  Nay,  in  all  these  things 
we  are  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us.  For 
I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord." 

That  has  the  right  ring  in  it.  There  is  Assurance  for  you. 
"i  Know."  Do  you  think  that  the  God  who  has  justified  me 
will  condemn  me  ?  That  is  quite  an  absurdity.  God  is  going 
to  save  us  so  that  neither  men,  angels,  nor  devils,  can  bring  any 
charge  against  us  or  Him.     He  will  have  the  work  complete. 


94  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

Job  lived  in  a  darker  day  than  we  do ;  but  we  read  in  Job^ 
xix.  25:  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  hveth,  and  that  He  shall' 
stand  in  the  latter  day  upon  the.  earth." 

The  same  confidence  breathes  through  Paul's  last  words  to 
Timothy:  "For  the  which  cause  I  also  suffer  these  things: 
nevertheless  I  am  not  ashamed ;  for  I  know  whom  I  have  be- 
lieved, and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I 
have  committed  unto  Him  against  that  day."  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  doubt,  but  of  knowledge.  "I  know."  "I  am  per- 
suaded." The  word  "Hope,"  is  not  used  in  the  Scripture  to 
express  doubt.  It  is  used  in  regard  to  the  second  coming  of 
Christ,  or  to  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  We  do  not  say  that 
we  "hope  "  we  are  Christians.  I  do  not  say  that  I  "hope  "  I 
am  an  American,  or  that  I  "hope "I  am  a  married  man. 
These  are  settled  things.  I  may  say  that  I  "hope  "  to  go  back 
to  my  home,  or  I  hope  to  attend  such  a  meeting.  I  do  not 
say  that  I  "hope  "  to  come  to  this  country,  for  I  am  here.  And 
so,  if  we  are  born  of  God  we  know  it;  and  He  will  not  leave  us 
in  darkness  if  we  search  the  Scriptures. 

Christ  taught  this  doctrine  to  His  seventy  disciples  when 
they  returned  elated  with  their  success,  saying,  "Lord,  even 
the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  Thy  name."  The  Lord 
seemed  to  check  them,  and  said  that  He  would  give  them 
something  to  rejoice  in.  '*  Notwithstanding  in  this  rejoice 
not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you;  but  rather  rejoice 
because  your  names  are  written  in  heaven."     (Luke  x.  20.) 

It  is  the  privilege  of  every  one  of  us  to  know,  beyond  a 
a  doubt,  that  our  salvation  is  sure.  Then  we  can  work  for 
others.  But  if  we  are  doubtful  of  our  own  salvation,  we  are 
not  fit  for  the  service  of  God. 

Another  passage  is  John  v.  24  :  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto 
you :  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth  on  Him  that 
sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into  'J7idff- 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  95 

ment'  "  (the  new  translation  has  it  so),  "but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  Hfe." 

Some  people  say  that  you  never  can  tell  till  you  are  before 
the  great  white  throne  of  Judgment  whether  you  are  saved  or 
not.  Why,  my  dear  friend,  if  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God,  you  are  not  coming  into  judgment  for  your  sins.  We 
may  come  into  judgment  for  reward.  This  is  clearly  taught 
where  the  lord  reckoned  with  the  servant  to  whom  five  talents 
had  been  given,  and  who  brought  other  five  talents  saying^ 
"Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  five  talents;  behold,  I  have 
gained  beside  them  five  talents  more.  His  lord  said  unto  him. 
Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant:  thou  hast  been 
faithful  over  a  few  things ;  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many 
things;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  [of  thy  lord."  (Matt.  xxv. 
20,  21.)  We  shall  be  judged  for  our  stewardship.  That  is 
one  thing;  but  salvation — eternal  life — is  another. 

Will  God  demand  payment  twice  of  .the  debt  which  Christ 
has  paid  for  us?  If  Christ  bear  my  sins  in  His  own  body  on 
the  tree,  am  I  to  answer  for  them  as  well? 

Isaiah  tells  us  that,  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgres- 
sions; He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities;  the  chastisement  of 
our  peace  was  upon  Him :  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed. " 
In  Romans  iv.  25,  we  read  :  He  "was  delivered  for  our  offences, 
and  was  raised  again  for  our  justification."  Let  us  believe, 
and  get  the  benefit  of  His  finished  work. 

Then  again  in  John  x.  9  :  "I  am  the  door :  by  Me  if  any 
man  enter  in  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and 
find  pasture."  That  is  the  promise.  Then  the  27th  verse, 
"  My  sheep  hear  my  voice ;  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow 
Me.  And  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never 
perish,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand. 
My  father  which  gave  them  is  greater  than  all ;  and  no  man 
is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand."     Think  of 


^6  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


that  I  The  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  pledged 
to  keep  us.  You  see  that  it  is  not  only  the  Father,  not  only 
the  Son,  but  the  three  persons  of  the  Triune  God. 

Now,  a  great  many  people  want  some  token  outside  of 
God's  word.  That  habit  always  brings  doubt.  If  I  made  a 
promise  to  meet  a  man  at  a  certain  hour  and  place  to-morrow, 
and  he  were  to  ask  me  for  my  watch  as  a  token  of  my  sincer- 
ity, it  would  be  a  slur  on  my  truthfulness.  We  must  not 
question  what  God  has  said :  He  has  made  statement  after 
statement,  and  multiplied  figure  upon  figure.  Christ  says : 
"I  am  the  door;  by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall  be  saved." 
"I  am  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  know  My  sheep,  and  am  known 
of  Mine."  "I  am  the  light  of  the  world;  he  that  f olloweth  Me 
shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 
"I  am  the  truth;"  receive  Me,  and  you  will  have  the  truth. 
for  I  am  the  embodiment  of  truth.  Do  you  w^ant  to  know  the 
way?  "I  am  the  way:"  follow  Me>  and  I  will  lead  you  into 
the  kingdom.  Are  you  hungering  after  righteousnes?  *' lam 
the  Bread  of  life :  "  if  you  eat  of  Me  you  shall  never  hunger, 
"lam  the  Water  of  life :"  if  you  drink  of  this  water  it  shall 
be  within  you  '*a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  everlasting 
life."  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  :  he  that  believeth 
in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die."  (John  xi.  25,  26.) 

Let  me  remind  you  where  our  doubts  come  from.  A  good 
many  of  God's  dear  people  never  get  beyond  knowing  them- 
selves servants.  He  calls  us  "friends."  If  you  go  into  a 
house  you  will  soon  see  the  difference  between  the  servant  and 
the  son.  The  son  walks  at  perfect  liberty  all  over  the  house; 
he  is  at  home.  But  the  servant  takes  a  subordiiiate  place. 
What  we  want  is  to  get  beyond  servants.  We  ought  to  realize 
our  standing  with  God  as  sons  and  daughters.  He  will  not 
"un-child"  His  children.     God  has  not  only  adopted  us,  but' 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  97 

we  are  His  by  birth :  we  have  been  bom  into  His  kingdom. 
My  little  boy  was  as  much  mine  when  he  was  a  day  old  as 
now  that  he  is  fourteen.  He  was  wij  soi ;  although  it  did  not 
appear  what  he  would  be  when  he  attained  manhood.  He  is 
mine;  although  he  may  have  to  undergo  probation  under 
tutors  and  governors.  The  children  of  God  are  not  perfect; 
but  we  are  perfectly  His  children. 

Another  origin  of  doubts  is  looking  at  ourselves.  If  you 
want  to  be  wretched  and  miserable,  filled  with  doubts  from 
morning  till  night,  look  at  yourselves.  "Thou  wilt  keep  him 
in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee."  (Isa.  xxvi. 
3.)  Many  of  God's  dear  children  are  robbed  of  joy  because 
they  keep  looking  at  themselves. 

Some  o*ne  has  said  :  ''  There  are  three  ways  to  look.  If 
you  want  to  be  wretched,  look  within ;  if  you  wish  to  be  dis- 
tracted, look  around;  but  if  you  would  have  peace,  look  up." 
Peter  looked  away  from  Christ,  and  he  immediately  began  to 
siuk.  The  Master  said  to  him:  "0  thou  of  little  faith! 
Wherefore  didst  thou  doubt?"  (Matt.  xiv.  31.)  He  Lad  God's 
eternal  word,  which  was  sure  footing,  and  better  than  either 
marble,  granite  or  iron;  but  the  moment  he  took  his  eyes  off 
Christ  down  he  went.  Those  who  look  around  cannot  see  how 
unstable  and  dishonoring  is  their  walk.  We  want  to  look 
straight  at  the  **  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith  " 

When  I  was  a  boy  I  could  only  make  a  straight  track  in 
the  snow,  by  keeping  my  eyes  fixed  upon  a  tree  or  some  object 
before  me.  The  moment  I  took  my  eye  off  the  mark  set  in 
front  of  me,  I  walked  crooked.  It  is  only  when  we  look  fix- 
edly on  Christ  that  we  find  perfect  peace.  After  He  rose  from 
the  dead  He  showed  His  disciples  His  hands  and  His  feet. 
(Luke  xxiv.  40.)  That  was  the  ground  of  their  peace.  If 
you  want  to  scatter  yourd®ubts,  look  at  the  blood;  and  if  you 
want  to  increase  your  doubts,  look  at  yourself.     You  will  get 


98  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

doubts  enough  for  years  by  being  occupied  with  yourself  for  a 
few  days. 

Then  again ;  look  at  what  He  is,  and  at  what  He  has  done; 
not  at  what  you  are,  and  what  you  have  done.  That  is  the 
way  to  get  peace  and  rest. 

Abraham  Lincoln  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the 
emancipation  of  three  millions  of  slaves.  On  a  certain  day 
their  chains  were  to  fall  off,  and  they  were  to  be  free.  The 
proclamation  was  put  up  on  the  trees  and  fences  wherever  the 
Northern  Army  marched.  A  good  many  slaves  could  not 
read:  but  others  read  the  proclamation,  and  most  of  them  be- 
lieved it;  and  on  a  certain  day  a  glad  shout  w^ent  up,  "We  are 
free!"  Some  did  not  believe  it,  and  stayed  with  their  old 
masters ;  but  it  did  not  alter  the  fact  that  they  were  free. 
Christ,  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  has  proclaimed  freedom 
to  all  who  have  faith  in  Him.  Let  us  take  Him  at  His  word. 
Their  feelings  would  not  have  made  the  slaves  free.  The 
power  must- come  from  the  outside.  Looking  at  ourselves  will 
not  mak^  us  free,  but  it  is  looking  to  Christ  with  the  eye  of 
faith. 

Bishop  Byle  has  strikingly  said:  "Faith  is  the  root,  and 
Assurance  the  flower.  Doubtless  you  can  never  have  the 
flower  without  the  root ;  but  it  is  no  less  certain  you  may  have 
the  root,  and  not  the  flower. 

"Faith  is  that  poor  trembling  woman  who  came  behind 
Jesus  in  the  press,  and  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment. 
(Mark  v.  27.)  Assurance  is  Stephen  standing  calmly  in  the 
midst  of  his  murderers,  and  saying,  *  I  see  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  Son. of  Man  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God' 
(Acts  vii.  56). 

"Faith  is  the  penitent  thief,  crying,  'Lord,  remember  me' 
(Luke  xxiii.  42).  Assurance  is  Job  sitting  in  the  dust,  covered 
with  sores,  and  saying,  '  I  know  that  my  Bedeerner  liveth;' 


ASSURANCE  OF  SALVATION.  99 

'  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him  '  (Job  xix.  25; 
xiii.  15). 

"Faith  is  Peter's  drowning  cry,  as  he  began  to  sink, 
'Lord,  save  me!  '  (Matt.  xxiv.  30).  Assurance  is  that  same 
Peter  declaring  before  the  Council,  in  after-times,  '  This,  is  the 
stone  which  was  set  at  nought  of  you  builders,  which  is  become 
the  head  of  the  comer:  neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other; 
for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men 
■whereby  we  must  be  saved  '  (Acts  iv.  11,  12). 

"Faith  is  the  anxious,  trembling  voice,  'Lord,  I  believe; 
help  Thou  mine  unbelief!'  ("Mark  ix.  24).  Assurance  is  the 
confident  challenge,  *  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect?  Who  is  he  that  condemneth?  '  (Kom. 
viii.   33,    34). 

Faith  is  Saul  praying-  in  the  house  of  Judas  at  Damas- 
cus, sorrowful,  blind,  and  alone.  (Acts  ix.  11.)  Assurance 
is  Paul,  the  aged  prisoner,  looking  camly  into  the  grave, 
and  saying,  '  I  know  whom  I  have  believed.'  '  There  is  a 
crown  laid  up  for  me  '  (2  Tim.  i.  12;  iv.  8). 

"Faith  is  Life.  How  great  the  blessing!  Who  can  tell 
the  gulf  between  life  and  death?  And  yet  life  may  be  weak, 
sickly,  unhealthy,  painful,  trying,  anxious,  worn,  burdensome, 
joyless,  smileless,  to  the  very  end. 

"Assurance  is  more  than  life.  It  is  health,  strength,  power, 
vigor,  activity,  energy,  manliness,  beauty." 

A  minister  once  pronounced  the  benediction  in  this  way : 
"The  heart  of  God  to  make  us  welcome;  the  blood  of  Christ  to 
make  us  clean,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make  us  certain." 
The  security  of  the  believer  is  the  result  of  the  operation  of  the 
Spirit  of  God. 

Another  writer  says:  "I  have  seen  shrubs  and  trees  grow 
out  of  the  rocks,  and  overhang  fearful  precipices,  roaring  cat- 
aracts, and  deep  running  waters;  but  they  maintained  their 


100  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

position,  and  threw  out  their  fohage  and  branches  as  much  as 
if  they  had  been  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  forest."  It  was  their 
hold  on  the  rock  that  made  them  secure;  and  the  influences 
of  nature  that  sustained  their  life.  So  believers  are  oftentimes 
exposed  to  the  most  horrible  dangers  in  their  journey  to  heaven ; 
but,  60  long  as  they  are  "rooted  and  grounded"  in  the  Eock 
of  Ages,  they  are  perfectly  secure.  Their  hold  of  Him  i'S  their 
guarantee ;  and  the  blessings  of  His  grace  give  them  life  and 
sustain  them  in  life.  And  as  the  tree  must  die,  or  the  rock 
fall,  before  a  dissolution  can  be  effected  between  them,  so 
either  the  believer  must  lose  his  spiritual  life,  or  the  Eock  must 
crumble,  ere  their  union  can  be  dissolved. 

Speaking  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  Isaiah  says  :  "I  will  fasten 
Him  as  a  nail  in  a  sure  place;  and  He  shall  be  for  a  glorious 
throne  to  His  Father's  house :  and  they  shall  hang  upon  Him 
all  the  glory  of  His  father's  house,  the  offspring  and  the  issue, 
all  vessels  of  small  quantity,  from  the  vessels  of  cups,  even  to 
all  the  vessels  of  flagons  "  (xxii.  23,  24). 

There  is  one  nail,  fastened  in  a  sure  place;  and  on  it  hang 
all  the  flagons  and  all  the  cups.  "Oh,"  says  one  little  cup,  "I 
am  so  small  and  so  black,  suppose  I  were  to  drop!"  *'0h,'' 
says  a  flagon,  "there  is  no  fear  of  you;  but  I  am  so  heavy,  so 
very  weighty,  suppose  1  were  to  drop !"  And  a  little  cup  says, 
"Oh,  if  I  were  only  like  the  gold  cup  there,  I  should  never  fear 
falling."  But  the  gold  cup  answers,  "It  is  not  because  I  am 
a  gold  cup  that  I  keep  up;  but  because  I  hang  upon  the  nail." 
If  the  nail  gives  way  we  all  come  down,  gold  cups,  china  cups, 
pewter  cups,  and  all;  but  as  long  as  the  nail  keeps  up,  all  that 
hang  on  Him  hang  safely. 

I  once  read  these  words  on  a  tombstone:  "Born,  died, 
kept."  Let  us  pray  God  to  keep  us  in  perfect  peace,  and 
assured  of  salvation, 


CHRIST  ALL  AND  IN  ALL.  101 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
CHRIST  ALL  AND  IN  ALL,  ^ 

(COLOSSIANS  iii.  11.) 

Christ  is  all  to  us  that  we  make  Him  to  be.  I  want  to 
emphasize  that  word  "all."  Some  men  make  Him  to  be  "a 
root  out  of  a  dry  ground,"  "without  form  or  comeKness."  He 
is  nothing  to  them;  they  do  not  want  Him.  Some  Chris- 
tians have  a  v^ery  small  Saviour,  for  they  are  not  willing  to 
receive  Him  fully,  and  let  Him  do  great  and  mighty  things 
for  them.  Others  have  a  mighty  Saviour,  becamse  they  make 
Him  to  be  great  and  mighty. 

If  we  would  know  what  Christ  wants  to  be  to  us,  we  must 
first  of  all  know  Him  as  our  Saviour  from  sin.  When  the 
angel  came  down  from  heaven  to  proclaim  that  He  was  to  be 
born  into  the  world,  you  remember  he  gave  His  name,  "He 
shall  be  called  Jesus,*  for  He  shall  save  His  people  from  their 
sins."  Have  we  been  delivered  from  sin?  He  did  not  come 
to  save  us  in  our  sins,  but  from  our  sins.  Now,  there  are 
three  ways  of  knowing  a  man.  Some  men  you  know  only  by 
hearsay;  others  you  merely  know  by  having  been  once  intro- 
duced to  them,  you  know  them  very  sHghtly;  other  again  you 
know  by  having  been  acquainted  with  them  for  years,  you 
know  them  intimately.  So  I  believe  there  are  three  classes  of 
people  to-day  in  the  Christian  Church  and  out  of  it :  those 
who  know  Christ  only  by  reading  or  by  hearsay,  those  who 
have  a  historical  Christ ;  those  who  have  a  shght  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  Him ;  and,  those  who  thirst,  as  Paul  did,  to 

*Saviour. 


102  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

"know  Him  and  the  power  of  His  resurrection."  The  more 
we  know  of  Christ  the  more  we  shall  love  Him,  and  the  better 
we  shall  serve  Him. 

Let  us  look  at  Him  as  He  hangs  upon  the  Cross,  and 
see  how  He  has  put  away  sin.  He  was  manifested  that  He 
might  take  away  our  sins ;  and  if  we  really  know  Him  we 
must  first  of  all  see  Him  as  our  Saviour  from  sin.  You 
remember  how  the  angels  said  to  the  shepherds  on  the  plains 
of  Bethlehem,  "Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  shall  be  to  all  people  :  for  unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in 
the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord." 
(Luke  ii.  10,  11.)  Then  if  you  go  clear  back  to  Isaiah,  seven 
hundred  years  before  Christ's  birth,  you  will  find  these  words: 
"I,  even  I,  ai^  the  Lord;  and  beside  me  there  is  no  Saviour" 
(xliii.  11). 

Again,  in  the  First  Epistle  of  John  (iv.  14)  we  read :  "We 
have  seen,  and  do  testify,  that  the  Father  sent  the  Son  to  be 
the  Saviour  of  the  world."  All  the  heathen  religions,  we  read, 
teach  men  to  work  their  way  up  to  God;  but  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  God  coming  down  to  men  to  save  them,  to  lift 
them  up  out  of  the  pit  of  sin.  In  Luke  xix.  10,  we  read  that 
Christ  Himself  told  the  pep^Dle  what  He  had  come  for:  "The 
Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. " 
So  we  start  from  the  Cross,  not  from  the  cradle.  Christ  has 
opened  up  a  new  and  living  way  to  the  Father ;  He  has  taken 
all  the  stumbling-blocks  out  of  the  way,  so  that  every  man 
who  accepts  of  Christ  as  his  Saviour  can  have  salvation. 

But  Christ  is  not  only  a  Saviour.  I  might  save  a  man 
from  drowning  and  rescue  him  from  an  untimely  grave ;  but  I 
might  probably  not  be  able  to  do  any  more  for  him.  Christ  is 
something  more  than  a  Saviour.  When  the  children  of  Israel 
were  placed  behind  the  blood,  that  blood  was  their  salvation ; 
but  they  would  still  have  heard  the  crack  of  the  slave-driver's 


CHRIST  ALL  m  ALL.  103 

whip  if  they  had  not  been  delivered  from  the  Egyptian  yoke  of 
bondage:  then  it  was  that  God  deHvered  them  from  the  hand 
of  the  king  of  Egypt.  I  have  Httle  sympathy  with  the  idea 
that  God  comes  down  to  save  us,  and  then  leaves  us  in  prison, 
the  slaves  of  our  besetting  sins.  No ;  He  has  come  to  dehver 
us,  and  to  give  us  victory  over  our  evil  tempers,  our  passions, 
and  our  lusts.  Are  you  a  professed  Christian  but  one  who  is 
a  slave  to  some  besetting  sin?  If  you  want  to  get  victory  over 
that  temper  or  that  lust,  go  on  to  know  Christ  more  intimately. 
He  brings  deliverance  for  the  past,  the  present,  and  the 
future.  "Who  delivered;  who  doth  deliver;  who  will  yet 
dehver."     (2  Cor.  i.  10.) 

How  often,  like  the  children  of  Israel  when  they  came  to 
the  Red  Sea,  have  we  become  discouraged  because  everything 
looked  dark  before  us,  behind  us,  and  around  us,  and  we 
knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  Like*Peter  we  have  said,  "To 
whom  shall  we  go?"  But  God  has  appeared  for  our  deliver- 
ance. He  has  brought  us  through  the  Red  Sea  right  out  into 
the  wilderness,  and  opened  up  the  way  into  the  Promised 
Land.  But  Christ  is  not  only  our  Deliverer;  He  is  our 
Redeemer.  That  is  something  more  than  being  our  Saviour. 
He  has  brought  us  back.  "Ye  have  sold  yourselves  for 
nought;  and  ye  shall  be  redeemed  without  money."  (Isaiah 
lii.  3.)  We  were  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as 
silver  and  gold."  (1  Peter  i.  18.)  If  gold  could  have  re- 
deemed us,  could  He  not  have  created  ten  thousand  worlds  full 
of  gold? 

When  God  had  redeemed  the  children  of  Israel  from  the 
bondage  of  Egypt,  and  brought  them  through  the  Red  Sea, 
they  struck  out  for  the  wilderness ;  and  then  God  became  to 
them  their  Way.  I  am  so  thankful  the  Lord  has  not  left  us 
in  darkness  as  to  the  right  way.  There  is  no  living  man  who 
has  been  groping  in  the  darkness  but  may  know  the  way.    "I 


104  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


am  the  Way,"  says  Christ.  If  we  follow  Christ  we  shall  be  in 
the  right  way,  and  have  the  right  doctrine.  Who  could  lead 
the  children  of  Israel  through  the  wilderness  like  the  Almighty 
God  Himself?  He  knew  the  pitfalls  and  dangers  of  the  way, 
and  guided  the  people  through  all  their  wilderness  journey 
right  into  the  promised  land.  It  is  true  that  if  it  had  not  been 
for  their  accursed  unbelief  they  might  have  crossed  into  the 
land  at  Kadesh  Barnea,  and  taken  possession  of  it,  but  they 
desired  something  besides  God's  word;  so  they  were  turned 
back,  and  had  to  wander  in  the  desert  for  forty  years.  I 
believe  there  are  thousands  of  God's  children  wandering  in  the 
wilderness  Etill.  The  Lord  has  delivered  them  from  the  hand 
of  the  Egyptian,  and  would  at  once  take  them  through  the 
wilderness  ri^ht  into  the  Promised  Land,  if  they  were  only 
willing  to  follow  Christ.  Christ  has  been  down  here,  and  has 
made  the  rough  places  smooth,  and  the  dark  places  light,  and 
the  crooked  places  straight.  If  we  will  only  be  led  by  Him, 
and  will  follow  Him,  all  will  be  peace,  and  joy,  and  rest. 

In  the  frontier,  when  a  man  goes  out  hunting  he  takes  a 
hatchet  with  him,  and  cuts  off  pieces  from  the  bark  of  the 
trees  as  he  goes  along  through  the  forest :  this  is  called 
"blazing  the  way."  He  does  it  that  he  may  know  the  way 
back,  as  there  is  no  pathway  through  these  thick  forests. 
Christ  has  come  down  to  this  earth;  He  has  "blazed  the 
Way  :"  and  now  that  He  has  gone  up  on  high,  if  we  will  but 
follow  him,  we  shall  be  kept  in  the  right  path.  I  will  tell  you 
how  you  may  know  if  you  are  following  Christ  or  not.  If 
some  one  has  slandered  jou,  or  misjudged  you,  do  you  treat 
them  as  your  master  would  have  done?  If  you  do  not  bear 
these  things  in  a  loving  and  forgiving  spirit,  all  the  churches 
and  ministers  in  the  world  cannot  make  you  right.  "If  any 
man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  His." 
(Romans  viii.  9.)     "If  any  man  be  in  Christ  Jesus  he  is  a  new 


Ohrist  all  in  all.  105 

creature :   old  things  are  passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are 
become  new."     (2  Cor.  v.  17.) 

Christ  is  not  only  our  way  He  is  the  Light  upon  the  way. 
He  says,  *'I  am  the  Light  of  the  world."  (John  viii.  12;  ix.  5; 
xii.  46.)  He  goes  on  to  say,  "He  that  folio  we  th  Me  shall  not 
walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life."  It  is  im- 
possible for  any  man  or  woman  who  is  following  Christ  to 
walk  in  darkness.  If  your  soul  is  in  the  darkness,  grop- 
ing around  in  the  fog  and  mist  of  earth,  let  me  tell  you 
it  is  because  you  have  got  away  from  the  true  light.  There  is 
nothing  but  light  that  will  dispel  darkness.  So  let  those  who 
are  walking  in  spiritual  darkness  admit  Christ  into  their  hearts : 
He  is  the  Light.  I  call  to  mind  a  picture  of  which  I  used  at 
one  time  to  think  a  good  deal ;  but  now  I  have  come  to  look 
more  closely,  I  would  not  put  it  up  in  my  house  except  I 
turned  the  face  to  the  wall.  It  represents  Christ  as  standing 
at  a  door,  knocking,  and  having  a  big  lantern  in  His  hand. 
Why,  you  might  as  well  hang  up  a  lantern  to  the  sun  as  put 
one  into  Christ's  hand.  He  is  the  Sun  of  Kighteousness;  and 
it  is  our  privilege  to  walk  in  the  light  of  an  unclouded  sun. 

Many  people  are  hunting  after  light,  and  peace,  and  joy. 
We  are  nowhere  told  to  seek  after  these  things.  If  we  admit 
Christ  into  our  hearts  these  will  all  come  of  themselves.  I 
remember,  when  a  boy,  I  used  to  try  in  vain  to  catch  my 
shadow.  One  day  I  was  walking  with  my  face  to  the  sun ; 
and  as  I  happened  to  look  around  I  saw  that  my  shadow  was 
following  me.  The  faster  I  went  the  faster  my  shadow  fol- 
lowed; I  could  not  get  away  from  it.  So  when  our  faces  are 
directed  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  peace  and  joy  are 
sure  to  come.  A  man  said  to  me  some  time  ago,  "Moody, 
how  do  you  feel?"  It  was  so  long  since  I  had  thought  about, 
my  feehngs  I  had  to  stop  and  consider  awhile,  in  order  to  find 
out.     Some  Christians  are  all  the  time  thinking  about  their 


106  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

feelings;  and  because  they  do  not  feel  just  right  they  think 
their  joy  is  all  gone.  If  we  keep  our  faces  towards  Christ,  and 
are  occupied  with  Him,  we  shall  be  lifted  out  of  the  darkness 
and  the  trouble  that  may  have  gathered  round  our  path. 

I  remember  being  in  a  meeting  after  the  war  of  the  great 
rebellion  broke  out.  The  war  had  been  going  on  for  about  six 
months.  The  army  of  the  North  had  been  defeated  at  Bull 
Run,  in  fact,  we  had  nothing  but  defeat,  and  it  looked  as 
though  the  republic  was  going  to  pieces.  So  we  were  much 
cast  down  and  discouraged.  At  this  meeting  every  speaker 
for  awhile  seemed  as  if  he  had  hung  his  harp  upon  the  willow; 
and  it  was  one  of  the  gloomiest  meetings  I  ever  attended. 
Finally  an  old  man  with  beautiful  white  hair  got  up  to  speak, 
and  his  face  literally  shone.  "Young  men,"  he  said  "you  do 
not  talk  like  sons  of  the  King.  Though  it  is  dark  just  here, 
remember  it  is  light  somewhere  els«."  Then  he  went  on  to 
say  that  if  it  were  dark  all  over  the  world,  it  was  light  up 
around  the  Throne. 

He  told  us  he  had  come  from  the  east,  where  a  friend  had 
described  to  him  how  he  had  been  up  a  mountain  to  spend 
the  night  and  see  the  sun  rise.  As  the  party  were  climbing  up 
the  mountain,  and  before  they  had  reached  the  summit,  a 
storm  came  on.  This  friend  said  to  the  guide,  "I  will  give 
this  up;  take  me  back."  The  guide  smiled,  and  replied,  "I 
think  we  shall  get  above  the  storm  soon."  On  they  went;  and 
it  was  not  long  before  they  got  up  to  where  it  was  as  calm  as 
any  summer  evening.  Down  in  the  valley  a  terrible  storm 
raged;  they  could  hear  the  thunder  rolling,  and  see  the 
lightning's  flash;  but  all  was  serene  on  the  mountain  top. 
"And  so,  my  young  friends,"  continued  the  old  man,  ''though 
all  is  dark  around  you,  come  a  little  higher  and  the  darkness 
will  flee  away."  Often  when  I  have  been  inclined  to  get  dis- 
couraged, I  have  thought  of  what  he  said.     Now  if  you  are 


CHRIST  ALL  IN  ALL.  107 

down  in  the  valley  amidst  the  thick  fog  and  the  darkness,  get 
a  httle  higher;  get  nearer  to  Christ,  and  know  more  of  Him. 
You  remember  the  Bible  says,  that  when  Christ  expired  on 
the  cross,  the  light  of  the  world  was  put  out.  God  sent  His 
Son  to  be  the  light  of  the  world;  but  men  did  not  love  the 
light  because  it  reproved  them  of  their  sins.  When  they  were 
about  to  put  out  this  light,  what  did  Christ  say  to  His  disciples? 
"Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me."  (Acts  i.  8.)  He  has  gone 
up  yonder  to  intercede  for  us ;  but  He  wants  us  to  shine  for 
Him  down  here.  "\''e  are  the  light  of  the  world."  (Matt.  v. 
14.)  So  our  work  is  to  shine;  not  to  blow  our  own  trumpet 
so  that  people  may  look  at  us.  What  we  want  to  do  is  to  show 
forth  Christ.  If  we  have  any  light  at  all  it  is  borrowed  light. 
Some  one  said  to  a  young  Christian:  "Converted!  it  is  all 
moonshine!"  Said  he:  "I  thank  you  for  the  illustration; 
the  moon  borrows  its  light  from  the  sun ;  and  we  borrow  ours 
from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness."  If  we  are  Christ's,  we  are 
here  to  shine  for  Him :  by  and  by  he  will  call  us  home  to  our 
reward. 

I  remember  hearing  of  a  blind  man  who  sat  by  the  way- 
side with  a  lantern  near  him.  When  he  was  asked  what  he 
had  a  lantern  for,  as  he  could  not  see  the  light,  he  said  it  was 
that  people  should  not  stumble  over  him.  I  believe  more 
people  stumble  over  the  inconsistencies  of  professed  Chris- 
tians than  from  any  other  cause.  What  is  doing  more  harm 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  than  all  the  scepticism  in  the  world  is 
this  cold,  dead  formalism,  this  conformity  to  the  world,  this 
professing  what  we  do  not  possess.  The  eyes  of  the  world  are 
upon  us.  I  think  it  was  George  Fox  who  said  every  Quaker 
ought  to  light  up  the  country  for  ten  miles  around  him.  If 
we  were  all  brightly  shining  for  the  Master,  those  about  us 
would  soon  be  reached,  and  there  would  be  a  shout  of  praise 
going  to  heaven. 


108  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

People  say  :  **  I  want  to  know  what  is  the  truth."  Listen: 
*' I  AM  THE  TRUTH,"  sajs  Chiist.  (John  xiv.  5.)  If  you  want 
to  know  what  the  truth  is,  get  acquainted  with  Christ.  Peo- 
ple also  complain  that  they  have  not  life.  Many  are  trying 
to  give  themselves  spiritual  life.  You  may  galvanize  your- 
selves and  put  electricity  into  yourselves,  so  to  speak ;  but  the 
effect  will  not  last  very  long.  Christ  alone  is  the  author  of 
life.  If  you  would  have  real  spiritual  life,  get  to  know  Christ. 
Many  try  to  stir  up  spiritual  life  by  going  to  meetings.  That 
may  be  well  enough ;  but  it  will  be  of  no  use,  unless  they  get 
into  contact  with  the  living  Christ.  Then  their  spiritual  life 
will  not  be  a  spasmodic  thing,  but  will  be  perpetual ;  flowing 
on  and  on,  and  bringing  forth  fruit  to  God. 

Then  Christ  is  our  Keeper.  A  great  many  young  disci- 
ples are  afraid  they  will  not  hold  out.  "He  that  keepeth 
Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep."  (Psaliba  cxxi.  4.)  It 
is  the  work  of  Christ  to  keep  us ;  and  if  He  keeps  us  there 
will  be  no  danger  of  our  falling.  I  suppose  if  Queen  Victoria 
had  to  take  care  of  the  Crown  of  England,  some  thief  might 
attempt  to  get  access  to  it;  but  it  is  put  away  in  the  Tower  of 
London,  and  guarded  night  and  day  by  soldiers.  The  whole 
English  army  would,  if  necessary,  be  called  out  to  protect  it. 
And  we  have  no  strength  in  ourselves.  We  are  no  match  for 
Satan;  he  has  had  six  thousand  years'  experience.  But  then 
we  remember  that  the  One  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps  is 
our  keeper.  In  Isaiah  xli.  10,  we  read,  "  Fear  thou  not,  for  I 
am  with  thee;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God;  I  will 
strengthen  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee 
with  the  right  hand  of  My  righteousness."  In  Jude  also, 
verse  24,  we  are  told  that  He  is  "  able  to  keep  us  from  fall- 
ing." "We  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous."     (1  John  ii.  1.) 


CHRIST  ALL  IN  ALL.  109 

But  Christ  is  something  more.  He  is  our  Shepherd.  It 
is  the  work  of  the  shepherd  to  care  for  the  sheep,  to  feed  them 
and  protect  them.  "I  am  the  Good  Shepherd;"  «'  My  sheep 
hear  My  voice."  ''I  lay  down  My  hfe  for  the  sheep."  In 
that  wonderful  tenth  chapter  of  John,  Christ  uses  the  personal 
pronoun  no  less  than  twenty-eight  times,  in  declaring  what 
He  is  and  what  He  will  do.  In  verse  28  He  says,  "They 
shall  never  perish;  neither  shall  any  [mayi]  pluck  them  out  of 
My  hand."  But  notice  the  word  "man"  is  in  italics.  See 
how  the  verse  really  reads:  "Neither  shall  any  pluck  them 
out  of  My  hand  " — no  devil  or  man  shall  be  able  to  do  it.  In 
another  place  the  Scripture  declares,  "Your  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God."     (CoL  iii.  3.)     How  safe  and  how  secure! 

Christ  says,  "  My  sheep  hear  My  voice  .  .  .  and  they  fol- 
low Me."  (John  x.  27.)  A  gentleman  in  the  East  heard  of 
a  shepherd  who  could  call  aU  his  sheep  to  him  by  name.  He 
went  and  asked  if  this  was  true.  The  shepherd  took  him  to 
the  pasture  where  they  were,  and  called  one  of  them  by  some 
name.  One  sheep  looked  up  and  answered  the  call,  while  the 
others  went  on  feeding  and  paid  no  attention.  In  the  same 
way  he  called  about  a  dozen  of  the  sheep  around  him.  The 
stranger  said,  "  How  do  you  know  one  from  the  other?  They 
all  look  perfectly  alike."  "Well,"  said  he,  "you  see  that 
sheep  toes  in  a  httle ;  that  other  one  has  a  squint ;  one  has  a 
little  piece  of  wool  off;  another  has  a  black  spot;  and  another 
has  a  piece  out  of  its  ear."  The  man  knew  all  his  sheep  by 
their  failings,  for  he  had  not  a  perfect  one  in  the  whole  flock. 
I  suppose  our  Shepherd  knows  us  in  the  same  way. 

An  Eastern  shepherd  was  once  telling  a  gentleman  that 
his  sheep  knew  his  voice,  and  that  no  stranger  could  deceive 
them.  The  gentleman  thought  he  would  like  to  put  the  state- 
ment to  the  test.  So  he  put  on  the  shepherd's  frock  and  tur- 
ban, and  took  hia  staff  and  went  to  the  flock.     He  disguised 


110  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

his  voice,  and  tried  to  speak  as  much  hke  the  shepherd  as  he 
could;  but  he  could  not  get  a  single  sheep  in  the  flock  to  fol- 
low him.  He  asked  the  shepherd  if  his  sheep  never  followed 
a  stranger.  He  was  obliged  to  admit  that  if  a  sheep  got  sickly- 
it  would  follow  any  one.  So  it  is  with  a  good  many  professed 
Christians;  when  they  get  sickly  and  weak  in  the  faith,  they 
will  follow  any  teacher  that  comes  along;  but  when  the  soul 
is  in  health,  a  man  will  not  be  carried  away  by  errors  and 
heresies.  He  will  know  whether  the  "voice"  speaks  the 
truth  or  not.  He  can  soon  tell  that,  if  he  is  really  in  com- 
munion with  God.  When  God  sends  a  true  messenger  his 
words  will  find  a  ready  response  in  the  Christian  heart. 

Christ  is  a  tender  Shepherd.  You  may  some  time  think 
He  has  not  been  a  very  tender  Shepherd  to  you;  you  are  pass- 
ing under  the  rod.  It  it  written,  "  Whom  the  Lord  lovetli  He 
chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  He  receiveth." 
(Heb.  xii.  6.)  That  you  are  passing  under  the  rod  is  no  proof 
that  Christ  does  not  love  you.  A  friend  of  mine  lost  all  his 
children.  No  man  could  ever  have  loved  his  family  more; 
but  the  scarlet  fever  took  one  by  one  away;  and  so  the  whole 
four  or  five,  one  after  another,  died.  The  poor  stricken  parents 
went  over  to  great  Britain,  and  wandered  from  one  place  to 
another,  there  and  on  the  continent.  At  length  they  found 
their  way  to  Syria.  One  day  they  saw  an  Eastern  shepherd 
come  down  to  a  stream,  and  call  his  flock  to  cross.  The  sheep 
came  down  to  the  brink,  and  looked  at  the  water;  but  they 
seemed  to  shrink  from  it,  and  he  could  not  get  them  to  respond 
to  his  call.  He  then  took  a  little  lamb,  put  it  under  one  arm ; 
he  took  another  lamb  and  put  it  under  the  other  arm,  and 
thus  passed  into  the  stream.  The  old  sheep  no  longer  stood 
looking  at  the  water :  they  plunged  in  after  the  shepherd ;  and 
in  a  few  minutes  ihe  whole  flock  was  on  the  other  side ;  and 
Jie  led  them  away  to  newer  and  ire^her  pastures..     The  be* 


CHRIST  ALL  IN  ALL.  Ill 

reaved  father  and  mother,  as  they  looked  on  the  scene,  felt 
that  it  taught  them  a  lesson.  They  no  longer  murmured 
hecause  the  Great  Shepherd  had  taken  their  lambs  one  by  one 
into  yonder  world;  and  they  began  to  look  up  and  look  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  they  would  follow  the  loved  ones  they 
had  lost.  If  you  have  loved  ones  gone  before,  remember  that 
your  Shepherd  is  calling  you  to  **  set  your  affection  on  things 
above."  (Col.  iii.  2.)  -Let  us  be  faithful  to  Him,  and  follow 
Him,  while  we  remain  in  this  world.  And  if  you  have  not 
taken  Him  for  your  Shepherd,  do  so  this  very  day. 

Christ  is  not  only  all  these  things  that  I  have  mentioned : 
He  is  also  our  Mediator,  our  Sanctifier,  our  Justifier;  in  fact, 
it  w^ould  take  volumes  to  tell  what  He  desires  to  be  to  every 
individual  soul.  While  looking  through  some  papers  I  once 
read  this  wonderful  description  of  Christ.  I  do  not  know 
where  it  originally  came  from ;  but  it  was  so  fresh  to  my  soul 
that  I  should  like  to  give  it  to  you : — 

"  Christ  is  our  Way;  we  walk  in  Him.  He  is  our  Truth; 
we  embrace  Him.  He  is  our  Life;  we  live  in  Him.  He  is 
our  Lord;  we  choose  Him  to  rule  over  us.  He  is  our  Master; 
we  serve  Him.  He  is  our  Teacher,  instructing  us  in  the  way 
of  salvation.  He  is  our  Prophet,  pointing  out  the  future.  He 
is  our  Priest,  having  atoned  for  us.  He  is  our  Advocate,  ever 
living  to  make  intercession  for  us.  He  is  our  Saviour,  saving 
to  the  uttermost.  He  is  our  Eoot;  we  grow  from  Him.  He 
is  our  Bread;  we  feed  upon  Him.  He  is  our  Shepherd,  lead- 
ing us  into  green  pastures.  He  is  our  true  Vine ;  we  abide  in 
Him.  He  is  the  Water  of  Life;  we  slake  our  thirst  from  Him. 
He  is  the  fairest  among  ten  thousand  :  we  admire  Him  above 
all  others.  He  is  *  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and 
the  express  image  of  His  person;'  we  strive  to  reflect  His  like- 
ness. He  is  the  upholder  of  all  things ;  we  rest  upon  Him. 
JPe  is  our  wisdom;  we  are  guided  by  Him.     He  is  our  Eight- 


112  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


eousness;  we  cast  all  our  imperfections  upon  Him.  He  is 
our  Sanctification ;  we  draw  all  our  power  for  holy  life  from 
Him.  He  is  our  Redemption,  redeeming  us  from  all  iniquity. 
He  is  our  Healer,  curing  all  our  diseases.  He  is  our  Friend, 
relieving  us  in  all  our  necessities.  He  is  our  Brother,  cheer- 
ing US  in  our  difficulties." 

Here  is  another  heautif ul  extract :  it  is  from  Gotthold : 
"  For  my  part,  my  soul  is  like  a  hungry  and  thirsty  child; 
and  I  need  His  love  and  consolation  for  my  refreshment.  I 
am  a  wandering  and  lost  sheep ;  and  I  need  Him  as  a  good 
and  faithful  shepherd.  My  soul  is  like  a  frightened  dove 
p'ursued  hy  the  hawk;  and  I  need  His  wounds  for  a 
refuge.  I  am  a  feeble  vine;  and  I  need  His  cross  to 
lay  hold  of,  and  to  wind  myself  about.  I  am  a  sinner; 
and  I  need  His  righteousness.  I  am  naked  and  bare; 
and  I  need  His  holiness  and  innocence  for  a  covering.  I  am 
ignorant;  and  I  need  His  teaching:  simple  and  foolish;  and 
I  need  the  guidance  of  His  Holy  Spirit.  In  no  situation,  and 
at  no  time,  can  I  do  without  Him.  Do  I  pray?  He  must 
prompt,  and  intercede  for  me.  Am  I  arraigned  by  Satan  at 
the  Divine  tribunal?  He  must  be  my  Advocate.  Am  I  in 
affliction?  He  must  be  my  Helper.  Am  I  persecuted  by  the 
world?  He  must  defend  me.  When  I  am  forsaken.  He  must 
be  my  Support;  when  I  am  dying,  my  life:  when  mouldering 
in  the  grave,  my  Resurrection.  Well,  then,  I  will  rather  part 
with  all  the  world,  and  all  that  it  contains,  than  with  Thee, 
my  Saviour.  And,  God  be  thanked!  I  know  that  Thou,  too, 
art  neither  able  nor  willing  to  do  without  me.  Thou  art  rich; 
and  I  am  poor.  Thou  hast  abundance;  and  I  am  needy. 
Thou  hast  righteousness ;  and  I  sins.  Thou  hast  wine  and 
oil;  and  I  wounds.  Thou  hast  cordials  and  refreshments; 
and  I  hunger  and  thirst. 


CHRIST  ALL  IN  ALL.  113 

Use  me  then,  my  Saviour,  for  whatever  purpose,  and  in 
whatever  way,  Thou  mayest  require.  Here  is  my  poor  heart, 
an  empty  vessel;  fill  it  with  Thy  grace.  Here  is  my  sinful 
and  troubled  soul;  quicken  and  refresh  it  with  Thy  love. 
Take  my  heart  for  Thine  abode ;  my  mouth  to  spread  the  glory 
of  Thy  name;  my  love  and  all  my  powers,  for  the  advance- 
ment of  Thy  believing  people ;  and  never  suffer  the  steadfast- 
ness and  confidence  of  my  faith  to  abate — that  so  at  all  times 
I  may  be  enabled  from  the  heart  to  say,  •  Jesus  needs  me,  and 
I  Him;  and  so  we  suit  each  other.' " 


114  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
BACKSLIDING, 

"I  will  heal  their  backsliding ;  I  will  love  them  freely  :  for  Mine  anger  is  turned 
away.  '— Hosea  xiv.  4. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  backsliders.  Some  have  never 
been  converted:  they  have  gone  through  the  form  of  joining  a 
Christian  community  and  claim  to  be  backsliders;  but  they 
never  have,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  ''slid  forward." 
They  may  talk  of  back-sliding;  but  they  have  never  really 
been  born  again.  They  need  to  be  treated  differently  from  real 
back-sliders — those  who  have  been  born  of  the  incorruptible 
seed,  but  who  have  turned  aside.  We  want  to  bring  the  latter 
back  the  same  road  by  which  they  left  their  first  love. 

Turn  to  Psalm  Ixxxv.  5.  There  you  read  :  ''  Wilt  Thou 
be  angry  with  us  for  ever?  wilt  Thou  draw  out  Thine  anger 
to  all  generations?  wilt  Thou  not  revive  us  again:  that  Thy 
people  may  rejoice  in  Thee?  Show  us  Thy  mercy,  0  Lord; 
and  grant  us  Thy  salvation."  Now  look  again:  '* I uill  hear 
what  God  the  Lord  ivill  speak :  for  He  will  speak  peace  unto  His 
people,  and  to  His  saints;  but  let  them  not  turn  again  to 
folly  '\verse8}. 

There  is  nothing  that  will  do  back- sliders  so  much  good  as 
to  come  in  contact  with  the  Word  of  God ;  and  for  them  the 
Old  Testament  is  as  full  of  help  as  the  New.  The  book  of 
Jeremiah  has  some  wonderful  passages  for  wanderers.  What 
we  want  to  do  is  to  get  back- sliders  to  hear  what  God  the  I^ord 
will  say. 


nACKSLIDING.  Hi 


Look  for  a  moment  at  Jeremiah  yi.  10.  *'  To  whom  shall 
I  speak,  and  give  warning,  that  they  may  hear?  behold,  their 
ear  is  uncircumcised,  and  they  cannot  hearken  :  behold,  the 
word  of  the  Lord  is  unto  them  a  reproach;  they  have  no  de- 
light in  it."  That  is  the  condition  of  back-sliders.  They 
have  no  delight  whatever  in  the  word  of  God.  But  we  want  to 
bring  them  back,  and  let  God  get  their  ear.  Bead  from  the 
14th  verse  :  "They  have  healed  also  the  hurt  of  the  daughter 
of  My  people  slightly,  saying.  Peace,  peace ;  when  there  is  no 
peace.  Were  they  ashamed  when  they  had  committed  abom- 
ination? nay,  they  were  not  at  all  ashamed,  neither  could  they 
blush  :  therefore  they  shall  fall  among  them  that  fall ;  at  the 
time  that  I  visit  them  they  shall  be  cast  down,  saith  the  Lord. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Stand  ye  in  the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask 
for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein; 
and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls.  But  they  said.  We  will 
not  walk  therein.  Also  I  set  watchmen  over  you,  saying, 
Hearken  to  the  sound  of  the  trumpet.  But  they  said.  We  will 
not  hearken." 

That  was  the  condition  of  the  Jews  when  they  had  back- 
slidden. They  had  turned  away  from  the  old  paths.  And 
that  is  the  condition  of  backsliders.  They  have  got  away 
from  the  good  old  book.  Adam  and  Eve  fell  by  not  hearken- 
ing to  the  word  of  God.  They  did  not  beheve  God's  word; 
but  they  believed  the  tempter.  That  is  the  way  backsliders 
fall — by  turning  away  from  the  word  of  God. 

In  Jeremiah  ii.  we  find  God  pleading  with  them  as  a  father 
would  plead  with  a  son.  "  Thus  saith  the  'Lord,  What  ini- 
quity have  your  fathers  found  in  Me,  that  they  are  gone 
from  Me,  and  have  walked  after  vanity,  and  are  become  vain? 
.  .  .  Wherefore  I  will  yet  plead  with  you,  saith  the  Lord;  and 
with  your  children's  children  will  I  plead  .  .  .  For  my  people 
have  committed  two  evils  :  they  have  forsaken  Me,  the  Foun- 


116  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

tain  of  living  waters;  and  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken 
cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water." 

Now  there  is  one  thing  to  which  we  wish  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  backsliders;  and  that  is,  that  the  Lord  never  forsook 
them ;  but  that  they  forsook  Him !  The  Lord  never  left  them; 
but  they  left  Him !  And  this,  too,"  jvithout  any  cause !  He 
says :  *'  What  iniquity  have  your  fathers  found  in  Me,  that 
they  are  gone  far  from  Me?"  Is  not  God  the  same  to-day  as 
when  you  came  to  Him  first?  Has  God  changed?  Men  are 
apt  to  think  that  God  has  changed ;  but  the  fault  is  with  them. 
Backslider,  I  would  ask  you,  **  What  iniquity  is  there  in  God, 
that  you  have  left  Him  and  gone  far  from  Him?"  You  have, 
He  says,  hewed  out  to  yourselves  broken  cisterns  that  hold  no 
water.  The  world  cannot  satisfy  the  new  nature.  No  earthly 
well  can  satisfy  the  soul  that  has  become  a  partaker  of  the 
heavenly  nature.  Honor,  wealth  and  the  pleasures  of  this 
world,  will  not  satisfy  those  who,  having  tasted  the  water  of 
life,  have  gone  astray,  seeking  refreshment  at  the  world's  foun- 
tains. Earthly  wells  will  get  dry.  They  cannot  quench  spirit- 
ual thirst. 

Again  :  in  the  82d  verse.  *'  Can  a  maid  forget  her  orna- 
ments, or  a  bride  her  attire  ?  yet  My  yeople  have  forgotten  Me, 
days  without  number.  That  is  the  charge  which  God  brings 
against  the  backslider.  They  ''  have  forgotten  Me,  days  with- 
out number." 

I  have  often  startled  young  ladies  when  I  have  said  to 
them,  "  My  friend,  you  think  more  of  your  ear-rings  than  of 
the  Lord."  The  reply  has  been,  ♦'  No,  I  do  not."  But  when 
I  have  asked,  ''Would  you  not  be  troubled  if  you  lost  one; 
and  would  you  not  set  about  seeking  for  it?"  the  answer  has 
been,  "Well,  yes,  I  think  I  should."  But  though  they  had 
turned  from  the  Lord,  it  did  not  give  them  any  trouble ;  nor 
did  they  seek  after  Him  that  they  might  find  Him. 


BACKSLIDING.  117 


How  many  once  in  fellowship  and  in  daily  communion 
with  the  Lord  now  think  more  of  their  dresses  and  ornaments 
than  of  their  precious  souls !  Love  does  not  like  to  be  for- 
gotten. Mothers  would  have  broken  hearts  if  their  children 
left  them  and  never  wrote  a  word  or  sent  any  memento  of  their 
affection ;  and  God  pleads  over  backsliders  as  a  parent  over 
loved  ones  who  have  gone  astray.  He  tries  to  woo  them  back: 
He  asks:  ♦'  What  have  I  done  that  you  should  have  forsaken 
Me?" 

The  most  tender  and  loving  words  to  be  found  in  the  whold 
of  the  Bible  are  from  Jehovah  to  those  who  have  left  Him 
without  a  cause.    Jer.  ii.  19. 

Hear  how  He  argues  with  such  :  (Jer.  xi.  19.)  •«Thin^ 
own  wickedness  shall  correct  thee,  and  thy  backslidings  shall 
reprove  thee;  know,  therefore,  and  see,  that  it  is  an  evil  thing 
and  bitter,  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  that 
My  fear  is  not  in  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God  of  hosts." 

I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  say  that  I  have  seen  hundreds 
of  backsliders  come  back;  and  I  have  asked  them  if  they  have 
not  found  it  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  to  leave  the  Lord.  You 
cannot  find  a  real  backslider,  who  has  known  the  Lord,  but 
will  admit  that  it  is  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  to  turn  away 
from  Him ;  and  I  do  not  know  of  any  one  verse  more  used  to 
bring  back  wanderers  than  that  very  one.  May  it  bring  you 
back  if  you  have  wandered  into  the  far  country. 

Look  at  Lot.  Did  not  he  find  it  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing? 
He  was  twenty  years  in  Sodom,  and  never  made  a  convert. 
He  got  on  well  in  the  sight  of  the  world.  Men  would  have 
told  you  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  influential  and  worthy 
men  in  all  Sodom.  But  alas!  alas!  he  ruined  his  family. 
And  it  is  a  pitiful  sight  to  see  that  old  backslider  going  through 
the  streets  of  Sodom  at  midnight,  after  he  has  warned  his 
children,  and  they  have  turned  a  deaf  ear. 


118  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

I  have  never  known  a  man  and  his  wife  hacksHde,  without 
its  proving  utter  ruin  to  their  children.  They  will  make  a 
mockery  of  religion  and  will  deride  their  parents :  "Thine  own 
wickedness  shall  correct  thee;  and  thy  backsliding  shall  re- 
prove thee!"  Did  not  David  find  it  so?  Mark  him,  crying, 
"0  my  son  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom!  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee;  0  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son!"  I  think  it 
was  the  ruin,  rather  than  the  death  of  his  son  that  caused  this 
anguish. 

I  remember  being  engaged  in  conversation  some  years  ago, 
till  past  midnight,  with  an  old  man.  He  had  been  for  years 
wandering  on  the  barren  mountains  of  sin.  That  night  he 
wanted  to  get  back.  We  prayed,  and  prayed,  and  prayed,  till 
light  broke  in  upon  him;  and  he  went  away  rejoicing.  The 
next  night  he  sat  in  front  of  me  when  I  was  preaching,  and  I 
think  that  I  never  saw  any  one  look  so  sad  and  wretched  in  all 
my  life.  He  followed  me  into  the  enquiry-room.  "What  is 
the  trouble?"  I  asked.  "Is  your  eye  off  the  Saviour?  Have 
your  doubts  come  back?"  "No;  it  is  not  that,"  he  said.  "I 
did  not  go  to  business,  but  spent  all  this  day  in  visiting  my 
children.  They  are  all  married  and  in  this  city.  I  went  from 
house  to  house,  but  there  was  not  one  but  mocked  me.  It  is 
the  darkest  day  of  my  life.  I  have  awoke  up  to  what  I  have 
done.  I  have  taken  my  children  into  the  world ;  and  now  I 
cannot  get  them  out. "  The  Lord  had  restored  unto  him  the 
joy  of  His  salvation;  yet  there  was  the  bitter  consequence  of 
his  transgression.  You  can  run  through  your  experience; 
and  you  can  find  just  such  instances  repeated  again  and  again. 
Many  who  came  to  your  city  years  ago  serving  God,  in  their 
prosperity  have  forgotten  Him  :  and  where  are  their  sons  and 
daughters  ?  Show  me  the  father  and  mother  who  have  deserted 
the  Lord  and  gone  back  to  the  beggarly  elements  of  the  world; 
and  I  am  mistaken  if  their  children  are  not  on  the  high  road 
to  ruin. 


BACKSLIDING.  119 


As  we  desire  to  be  faithful  we  warn  these  backsliders.  It  is 
a  sign  of  love  to  warn  of  danger.  We  may  be  looked  upon  as 
enemies  for  a  while ;  but  the  truest  friends  are  those  who  lift  up 
the  voice  of  warning.  Israel  had  no  truer  friend  than  Moses. 
In  Jeremiah  God  gave  His  people  a  weeping  prophet  to  bring 
them  back  to  Him;  but  they  cast  off  God.  They  forgot  the  God 
who  brought  them  out  of  Egypt,  and  who  led  them  through 
the  desert  into  the  promised  land.  In  their  prosperity  they 
forget  Him  and  turned  away.  The  Lord  had  told  them  what 
would  happen.  (Deut.  xxviii.)  And  see  what  did  happen. 
The  king  who  make  light  of  the  word  of  God  was  taken  captive 
by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  his  children  brought  up  in  front  of 
him  and  every  one  slain :  his  eyes  were  put  out  of  his  head ; 
and  he  was  bound  in  fetters  of  brass  and  cast  into  a  dungeon 
in  Babylon.  (2  Kings  xxv.  7.)  That  is  the  way  he  reaped 
what  he  had  sown.  Surely  it  is  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thii]g  to 
backslide,  but  the  Lord  would  win  you  back  with  the  message 
of  His  Work. 

In  Jeremiah  viii.  5,  we  read  :  "Why  then  is  this  people  of 
Jerusalem  slidden  by  a  perpetual  backsliding?  They  holdfast 
deceit;  They  refuse  to  return.''  That  is  what  the  Lord  brings 
against  them.  *'They  refuse  to  return."  <'I  hearkened  and 
heard:  but  they  spake  not  aright:  no  man  repented  him  of 
his  wickedness,  saying,  What  have  I  done?  Every  one  turned 
to  his  course,  as  the  horse  rusheth  into  the  battle.  Yea,  ihe^. 
stork  in  the  heaven  knoweth  her  appointed  times;  and  the 
turtle  and  the  crane  and  the  swallow  observe  the  time  or  their 
coming;  but  My  people  know  not  the  judgment  ot  thd  Lord." 

Now  look:  "I  hearkened  and  heard;  but  they  spake  not 
aright."  No  family  altar!  No  reading  th^  Bible!  No  closet 
devotion!  God  stoops  to  hear;  but  Hi^  people  have  turned 
away!  If  there  be  a  penitent  backslider,  one  who  is  anxious 
for  pardon  and  restoration,  you  will  find  no  words  more  tender. 


120  fH^  WAY  TO  GOD. 

than  are  to  be  found  in  Jeremiah  iii.  12:  "Go,  and  proclaim 
these  words  toward  the  north,  and  say.  Return,  thou  backsHd- 
ing  Israel,  saith  the  Lord;  and  I  will  not  cause  Mine  anger  to 
fall  upon  you :  for  I  am  merciful,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will 
not  keep  anger  forever."  Now  notice:  "Only  acknowledge 
thine  iniquity,  that  thou  hast  transgressed  against  the  Lord 
thy  God,  and  hast  scattered  thy  ways  to  the  stranger  under 
every  green  tree,  and  ye  have  not  obeyed  My  voice,  saith  the 
Ijord.  Turn,  0  backsliding  children,  saith  the  Lord;  for  I 
am  married  unto  you" — think  of  God  coming  and  saying,  *•! 
am  married  unto  you! — and  I  will  take  you  one  of  a  city,  and 
two  of  a  family,  and  I  will  bring  you  to  Zion." 

"Only  acknowledge  thine  iniquity."  How  many  times 
have  I  held  that  passage  up  to  a  backslider!  "Acknowledge" 
it;  and  God  says  I  will  forgive  you.  I  remember  a  man  ask- 
ing, "Who  said  that?  Is  that  there?"  And  I  held  up  to  him 
the  passage,  "Only  acknowledge  thine  iniquity;"  and  the  man 
went  down  on  his  knees,  and  cried,  "My  God,  I  have  sinned"; 
and  the  Lord  restored  him  there  and  then.  If  you  have  wan- 
dered. He  wants  you  to  come  back. 

He  says  in  another  place,  "0  Ephraim,  what  shall  I  do 
unto  thee?  0  Judah,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee?  for  your 
goodness  is  as  a  morning  cloud,  and  as  the  early  dew  it  goeth 
away"  (Hosea  vi.  4).  His  compassion  and  His  love  is  won- 
derful ! 

In  Jeremiah  iii.  22;  "Return,  ye  backsliding  children,  and 
I  will  heal  your  backslidings.  Behold,  we  come  unto  Thee ; 
Thou  art  the  Lord  our  God."  He  just  puts  words  into  the 
mouth  of  the  backslider.  Only  come;  and,  if  you  will  come. 
He  will  receive  you  graciously  and  love  you  freely. 

In  Hosea  xiv.  1,  2,  4:  "0  Israel,  return  unto  the  Lord  thy 
God ;  for  thou  hast  fallen  by  thine  iniquity.  Take  with  you 
words,  and  turn  to  the  Lord  (He  puts  words  into  your  mouth) : 


BACKSLIDING.  l2l 


say  unto  Him,  Take  away  all  iniquity,  and  receive  us  gra- 
ciously: so  will  we  render  the  calves  of  our  lips  ...  I 
will  heal  their  backsliding,  I  will  love  them  freely,  for  Mine 
anger  is  turned  away  from  him."  Just  observe  that,  Turn! 
Turn  ! !  Turn  ! ! !  rings  all  through  these  passages. 

Now,  if  you  have  wandered,  remember  that  you  left  Him 
and  not  He  you.     You  have  to  get  out  of  the  backslider's  pit 
just  in  the  same  way  you  got  in.     And  if  you  take  the  same 
road  as  when  you  left  the  Master  you  will  find  Him  now,  just 
where  you  are. 

If  we  were  to  treat  Christ  as  any  earthly  friend  we  should 
never  leave  Him ;  and  there  would  never  be  a  backslider.  If  I 
were  in  a  town  for  a  single  week  I  should  not  think  of  going 
away  without  shaking  hands  with  the  friends  I  had  made,  and 
saying  "Good  bye"  to  them.  I  should  be  justly  blamed  if  I 
took  the  train  and  left  without  saying  a  word  to  any  one.  The 
cry  would  be,  "What's  the  matter?"  But  did  you  ever  hear  of 
a  backslider  bidding  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  "Good  bye  ";  going 
into  his  closet  and  saying  "Lord  Jesus,  I  have  known  Thee 
ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  years :  but  I  am  tired  of  Thy  service; 
Thy  yoke  is  not  easy,  nor  Thy  burden  light;  so  I  am  going 
back  to  the  world,  to  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt.  Good  bye,  Lord 
Jesus!  Farewell"  ?  Did  you  ever  hear  that?  No;  you 
never  did,  and  you  never  will.  I  tell  you,  if  you  get  into  the 
closet  and  shut  out  the  world  and  hold  communion  with  the 
Master  you  cannot  leave  Him.  The  language  of  your  heart 
will  be,  "To  whom  shall  we  go,"  but  unto  Thee?  "Thou  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life"  (John  vi.  68).  You  could  not  go 
back  to  the  world  if  you  treated  Him  in  that  way.  But  you 
left  Him  and  ran  away.  You  have  forgotten  Him  days  with- 
out number.  Come  back  to-day;  just  as  you  are!  Make  up 
your  mind  that  you  will  not  rest  until  God  has  restored  unto 
you  the  joy  of  His  salvation- 


122  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 

A  gentleman  in  Cornwall  once  met  a  Christian  in  the  street 
whom  he  knew  to  be  a  backslider.  He  went  up  to  him,  and 
said  :  "Tell  me,  is  there  not  some  estrangement  between  you 
and  the  Lord  Jesus?"  The  man  hung  his  head,  and  said, 
"Yes."  "Well,"  said  the  gentleman,  "what  has  He  done  to 
you?"     The  answer  to  which  was  a  flood  of  tears. 

In  Kevelation  ii.  4^  5,  we  read:  "Nevertheless  I  have  some- 
what against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  the  first  love.  Re- 
member therefore  from  whence  thou  art  fallen;  and  repent, 
and  do  the  first  works :  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly, 
and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except  thou 
repent."  I  want  to  guard  you  against  a  mistake  which  some 
people  make  with  regard  to  "doing  the  first  works."  Many 
think  that  they  are  to  have  the  same  experience  over  again. 
That  has  kept  thousands  for  months  without  peace ;  because 
they  have  been  waiting  for  a  renewal  of  their  first  experience. 
You  will  never  have  the  same  experience  as  when  you  first 
came  to  the  Lord.  God  never  repeats  himself.  No  two  people 
of  all  earth's  millions  look  alike  or  think  alike.  You  may  say 
that  you  cannot  tell  two  people  apart ;  but  when  you  get  well 
acquainted  with  them  you  can  very  quickly  distinguish  differ- 
ences. So,  no  one  person  will  have  the  same  experience  a 
second  time.  If  God  will  restore  His  joy  to  your  soul  let  Him 
do  it  in  His  way.  Do  not  mark  out  a  way  for  God  to  bless 
you.  Do  not  expect  the  same  experience  that  you  had  two  or 
twenty  years  ago.  You  will  have  a  fresh  experience,  and  God 
will  deal  with  you  in  His  own  way.  If  you  confess  your  sins 
and  tell  Him  that  you  have  wandered  from  the  path  of  His 
commandments  He  will  restore  unto  you  the  joy  of  His 
salvation. 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  manner  in  which  Peter 
fell;  and  I  think  that  nearly  all  fall  pretty  much  in  the  same 
way.     I  want  to  lift  up  a  warning  note  to  those  who  have  not 


BACKSLIDING.  123 


fallen.  "Let  him  that  thinketli  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he 
fall"  (1  Cor.  X.  12).  Twenty-five  years  ago — and  for  the  first 
five  years  after  I  was  converted — I  used  to  think  that  if  I  were 
able  to  stand  for  twenty  years  I  need  fear  no  fall.  But  the 
nearer  you  get  to  the  Cross  the  fiercer  the  battle.  Satan  aims 
high.  He  went  amongst  the  twelve;  and  singled  out  the 
Treasurer — Judas  Iscariot,  and  the  Chief  Apostle — Peter. 
Most  men  who  have  fallen  have  done  so  on  the  strongest  side 
of  their  character.  I  am  told  that  the  only  side  upon  which 
Edinburgh  Castle  was  successfully  assailed  was  where  the 
rocks  were  steepest,  and  where  the  garrison  thought  them- 
selves secure.  If  any  man  thinks  that  he  is  strong  enough  to 
resist  the  devil  at  any  one  point  he  needs  special  watch  there, 
for  the  tempter  comes  that  way. 

Abraham  stands,  as  it  were,  at  the  head  of  the  family  of 
faith;  and  the  children  of  faith  may  be  said  to  trace  their 
descent  to  Abraham :  and  yet  down  in  Egypt  he  denied  his 
wife.  (Gen.  xii.)  Moses  was  noted  for  his  meekness;  and 
yet  he  was  kept  out  of  the  promised  land  because  of  one  hasty 
act  and  speech,  when  he  was  told  by  the  Lord  to  speak  to  the 
rock  so  that  the  congregation  and  their  beasts  should  have 
water  to  drink.  "Hear  now,  ye  rebels;  must  we  fetch  you 
water  out  of  this  rock?"  (Num.  xx.  10). 

Elijah  was  remarkable  for  his  boldness  :  and  yet  he  went 
off  a  day's  journey  into  the  wilderness  like  a  coward  and  hid 
himself  under  a  juniper  tree,  requesting  for  himself  that  he 
might  die,  because  of  a  message  he  received  from  a  woman. 
(1  Kings  xix.)  Let  us  be  careful.  No  matter  who  the  man  is 
— he  may  be  in  the  pulpit — but  if  he  gets  self -conceited  he  will 
be  sure  to  fall.  We  who  are  followers  of  Christ  need  con- 
stantly to  pray  to  be  made  humble,  and  kept  humble.  God 
made  Moses'  face  so  to  shine  that  other  men  could  see  it ;  but 
Moses  himself  wist  not  that  his  face  shone,  and  the  more  holy 


124  THE  WAY  TO  OOD. 


in  heart  a  man  is  the  more  manifest  to  the  outer  world  will  be 
his  daily  life  and  conversation.  Some  people  talk  of  how 
humble  they  are ;  but  if  they  have  true  humility  there  will  be 
no  necessity  for  them  to  publish  it.  It  is  not  needful.  A 
lighthouse  does  not  have  a  drum  beaten  or  a  trumpet  blown 
in  order  to  proclaim  the  proximity  of  a  lighthouse :  it  is  its 
own  witness.  And  so  if  we  have  the  true  light  in  us  it  will 
show  itself.  It  is  not  those  who  make  the  most  noise  who 
have  the  most  piety.  There  is  a  brook,  or  a  little  "burn  "  as 
the  Scotch  call  it,  not  far  from  where  I  live ;  and  after  a  heavy 
rain  you  can  hear  the  rush  of  its  waters  a  long  way  off :  but 
let  there  come  a  few  days  of  pleasant  weather,  and  the  brook 
becomes  almost  silent.  But  there  is  a  river  near  my  house, 
the  flow  of  which  I  never  heard  in  my  life,  as  it  pours  on  in 
its  deep  and  majestic  course  the  year  round.  We  should  have 
so  much  of  the  love  of  God  within  us  that  its  presence  shall  be 
evident  without  our  loud  proclamation  of  the  fact. 

The  first  step  in  Peter's  downfall  was  his  self-confidence. 
The  Lord  warned  him.  The  Lord  said:  "Simon,  Simon, 
behold,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may 
sift  you  as  wheat:  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that 
thy  faith  fail  not"  (Luke  xxii.  31,  32).  But  Peter  said: 
"I  am  ready  to  go  with  Thee,  both  into  prison  and  to 
death."  ♦«  Though  all  shall  be  offended  because  of  Thee,  yet 
will  I  never  be  offended."  (Matt.  xxvi.  23.)  '*  James  and 
John,  and  the  others,  may  leave  You;  but  You  can  count  on 
me!"  But  the  Lord  warned  him:  ''I  tell  thee,  Peter,  the 
cock  shall  not  crow  this  day,  before  that  thou  shalt  thrice  deny 
that  thou  knowest  Me."     (Luke  xxii.  24.) 

Though  the  Lord  rebuked  him,  Peter  said  he  was  ready  to 
follow  Him  to  death.  That  boasting  is  too  often  a  forerunner 
of  downfall.  Let  us  walk  humbly  and  softly.  We  have  a 
great  tempter;-  and,  in  an  unguarded  hour,  we  may  stumble 
and  fall  and  brfkg  a  scandal  on  Christ. 


BACKSLIDING.  125 


The  next  step  in  Peter's  downfall  was  that  he  went  to 
sleep.  If  Satan  can  rock  the  Church  to  sleep  he  does  his 
work  through  God's  ow^n  people.  Instead  of  Peter  watching 
one  short  hour  in  Gethsemane,  he  fell  asleep,  and  the  Lord 
asked  him,  '*  What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  Me  one  hour?" 
(Matt.  xxvi.  40.)  The  next  thing  was  that  he  fought  in  the 
energy  of  the  flesh.  The  Lord  rebuked  him  again  and  said, 
<'They  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword." 
(Matt.  xxvi.  52.)  Jesus  had  to  undo  what  Peter  had  done. 
The  next  thing,  he  "followed  afar  off."  Step  by  step  he 
gets  away.  It  is  a  sad  thing  when  a  child  of  God  follows  afar 
off.  When  you  see  him  associating  with  worldly  friends,  and 
throwing  his  influence  on  the  wrong  side,  he  is  following  afar 
off;  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  disgrace  will  be  brought 
upon  the  old  family  name,  and  Jesus  Christ  will  be  wounded 
in  the  house  of  his  friends.  The  man,  by  his  example,  will 
cause  others  to  stumble  and  fall. 

The  next  thing — Peter  is  familiar  and  friendly  with  the 
enemies  of  Christ.  "  A  damsel  says  to  this  bold  Peter  :  * '  Thou 
also  wast  with  this  Jesus  of  Galilee."  But  he  denied  before 
them  all,  saying,  '*!  know  not  what  thou  sayest."  And  when 
he  was  gone  out  into  the  porch  another  maid  saw  him  and 
said  unto  them  that  were  there,  '♦  This  fellow  was  also  with 
Jesus  of  Nazareth."  And  again  he  denied  with  an  oath.  ''I 
do  not  know  the  Man."  Another  hour  passed;  and  yet  he  did 
not  realize  his  position ;  when  another  confidently  affirmed  that 
that  he  was  a  Galilean,  for  his  speech  betrayed  him.  And  he 
was  angry  and  began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  and  again  denied 
his  Master :  and  the  cock  crew.     (Matt.  xxvi.  69-74.) 

He  commences  away  up  on  the  pinacle  of  self-conceit,  and 
goes  down  step  by  step  until  he  breaks  out  into  cursing,  Cjud 
swears  that  he  never  knew  his  Lord. 


126  THE  WAY  TO  GOD. 


The  Master  might  have  turned  and  said  to  him,  '•  Is  it 
true,  Peter,  that  you  have  forgotten  Me  so  soon?  Do  you  not 
remember  when  your  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  fever  that  I 
rebuked  the  disease  and  it  left  her?  Do  you  not  call  to  mind 
your  astonishment  at  the  draught  of  fishes  so  that  you  ex- 
claimed, 'Depart  from  me;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord?' 
Do  you  remember  when  in  answer  to  your  cry,  *  Lord,  save 
me,  or  I  perish,'  I  stretched  out  My  hand  and  kept  you  from 
drowning  in  the  water?  Have  you  forgotten  when,  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  with  James  and  John,  you  said  to 
Me,  *  Lord,  it  is  good  to  be  here :  let  us  make  three  taberna- 
cles?' Have  you  forgotten  being  with  Me  at  the  supper-table, 
and  in  Gethsemane?  Is  it  true  that  you  have  forgotten  Me  so 
soon?  The  Lord  might  have  upbraided  him  with  questions 
such  as  these :  but  He  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  He  cast  one 
look  on  Peter :  and  there  was  so  much  love  in  it  that  it  broke 
that  bold  disciple's  heart :  and  he  went  out  and  wept  bitterly. 

And  after  Christ  rose  from  the  dead  see  how  tenderly  He 
dealt  with  the  erring  disciple.  The  angel  at  the  sepulchre 
says,  "Tell  His  disciples,  'and  Peter.''  (Mark  xvi.  7.)  The 
Lord  did  not  forget  Peter,  though  Peter  had  denied  Him  thrice; 
so  He  caused  this  kindly  special  message  to  be  conveyed  to  the 
repentant  disciple.  What  a  tender  and  loving  Saviour  we 
have ! 

Friend,  if  you  are  one  of  the  wanderers,  let  the  loving 
look  of  the  'Master  win  you  back;  and  let  Him  restore  you  to 
the  joy  of  His  salvation. 

Before  closing,  let  me  say  that  I  trust  God  will  restore 
some  backslider  reading  these  pages,  who  may  in  the  future 
become  a  useful  member  of  society  and  a  bright  ornament  of 
the  Church.  We  should  never  have  had  the  thirty-second 
Psalm  if  David  had  not  been  restored :  "Blessed  is  he  whose 
jfcransgression   is  forgiven,   whose   sin   is   covered";  or  that 


BACKSLIDING.  127 


beautiful  fifty-first  Psalm  which  was  written  by  the  restored 
backslider.  Nor  should  we  have  had  that  Wonderful  sermon 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost  when  three  thousand  were  converted 
— preached  by  another  restored  backslider. 

May  God  restore  other  backsliders  and  make  them  a 
thousand  times  more  used  for  His  glory  than  they  ever  were 
before. 


A  SELECTION  FBOM  THE  CATALOGUE  OF 

EVANGELICAL   BOOKS 

PUBLISHED  BY 

148  and.  ISO  Ji£a.d.isoTh  St, ,  CTitcago. 
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The  Second  Coming  of  Christ.  By  D.  L.  Moody.  Revised 
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Inquiry  Meetings.  By  Messrs  Moody  and  Whittle.  Compris- 
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40  pages  and  cover.     Price,  15  cts.;  per  dozen,  $1.50. 

Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life  (The),  By  H.  W.  S.  (Mrs. 
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key  to  the  Scriptures," 

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F,  H.  REVELL,  Publisher, 
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